Believe
by raphfreak
Summary: Raphael believes in a lot of things. Love has never been on the list until now. Alone and suffering, he meets a girl who'll change his whole outlook on life and what it truly means to love. And believe.
1. Chapter 1

**As much as I wish I could proudly pronounce that TMNT belongs to me; they do not. (Pouts) However, the plot and all the other OC's do. Happy reading!**

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He wordlessly flung the purple dragon over his shoulder and down his shell. He listened in success to the thug's cries as he hit the ground with a loud thump. How he loved that sound- the sound of an enemy's cry of defeat.

Anther purple dragon came at him, wielding a large iron crowbar, a sneer plastered on his face. With a small grin, the turtle lunged forward, his sai's spinning in a fluid motion. One slash and the man went down with a scream of pain, his hands clutching his stomach as blood poured from the fatal wound.

The turtle spun on his toes, weapons ready for more blood. No more stood; they all lay dead, defeated at his feet. His eyes glowed dangerously in the dark, gleaming with triumph. His blood red mask complimented his dangerous form. With a cry of victory, he vanished into the shadows of the night. They only thing that he left behind were the dead bodies of his enemies, littering the empty streets of New York.

"Raph?" a voice penetrated his dreams like a knife. He spun around, sai already on the way to threaten whoever spoke to him. Seeing no one, he closed his eyes. Snapping them open, the light from his room revealed the stunned, slightly scared face, of Michelangelo, the long pointed end of Raph's sai inches from his face.

"You always sleep with that thing under your pillow bro?" he asked weekly, using a finger to shove away the razor-sharp tip from his face.

Raph muttered an apology before rolling back over in his hammock. He kicked away the blanket that had tangled up around his feet during his 'dream fight'. His eyes wandered to the red mask hanging from a hook in the cracked up wall. Reaching up, he fingered the soft material between his fingers.

Red did seem to fit his dark side.

"Splinter wants ya for practice." Mikey went out, recovering from almost being stabbed from a simple wake-up call. "He's says if you're not there in five minutes, the dojo needs a good scrubbing." He quickly retreated out the door at the sight of Raph pulling out one of his red-wrapped sai's.

He closed the door in time. He could hear the sound of metal striking wood. He vaguely wondered how long it was going to take Raph to pull his weapon from the door this time. His older brother, Don, paused on his way to the dojo. He too had heard the sound.

"Did he just do what I think he did?" he asked, irritation creeping into his voice. At Mike's nod, he gave a sigh. "Poor door." Me muttered as he entered the matted floor.

"Better the door than me." Mikey thought with a small grin as he followed his brother into the dimly lit room. The eldest of the four brothers, Leo, was already warming up.

"Where Raph?" Leo asked when he failed to see the red masked turtle. He was on the ground, his plastron almost touching the floor as his three-fingered hands reached past his feet.

"Still in bed." Mikey answered as he joined his brother on the floor. "He had one of fighting dreams again." He went on.

"How do you know?" Don asked as he did a quick handstand to warm up his biceps.

"Cause he had one of his sai's under his pillow and when I went in, he was tossing in his bed and muttering curses." Mikey paused. "When I said his name, I didn't even touch him, he almost stabbed me in the head!"

Leo paused in his stretches, his head snapping around. "He did what?"

"We almost had turtle shish-ka-bob." Mikey told him. He would never admit it to anybody, but Mikey was slightly scared of waking his older brother up. You'd never know what would happen if you woke him; you'd get socked in the face, tackled, or stabbed.

A small shadow fell across the dojo as a dark gray rat entered. He wore what looked like a red robe. Although he was elderly (his light gray, almost white muzzle proved it), his eyes held wisdom and his steps were confident and sure. His whiskers twitched as the sight of three of his children.

"Good morning my sons." He greeted them. They returned the greeting with a bow and a "Good morning master" in unison.

"Where is Raphael?" he asked, his black eyes scanning the room, looking for his hot-tempered son.

"Still in bed." Mikey answered.

"I thought I told you to wake him."

"I did," Mikey protested. "He just wouldn't get out of bed. I almost got stabbed for my troubles."

"Too bad I missed." A voice from the doorway said. Everyone turned as Raph entered the room, sleep still evident in his face.

"That is enough Raphael." Splinter hissed as his second eldest son took his place beside Leo. "I will not tolerate that behavior today."

Raph gave a lazy bow as he sat on the floor, cross-legged. Leo reached behind his brother's head and tightened his red mask, noticing it kept slipping. Raph grunted in annoyance, but made no move to stop him.

"Today, I would like you to practice your rolling." Splinter told them.

"Rolling?" Leo asked. He barely held back his disappointment. They had learned that stuff when they were young; they hadn't done that in years.

"Yes Leonardo." Splinter began to pace in front of the four turtles. "Jumping, back flips, and different forms of fighting are all very important, but what's more important than how well you fight, is how you fight." He slapped Mikey in the head with his walking stick. "Focus." He barked. "Now, your enemies rarely use any more that have to involve them going to the ground, due to the fact that it's harder to move. They rely on flips, and jump kicks to help them win. However, while in the air it is easy to be hit and struck down, especially in the legs. You no longer have use of your legs; you no longer have control over the fight. However, rolling will not only surprise them, but it will make it harder for them to hit you. And since you four have shells, and not regular human backs, it will also give you an advantage."

Mikey raised an eyebrow at Don, who shrugged in return. No laps? No back flips? No difficult, or almost impossible kata's? Just simple rolling?

Raph was sharing a similar look with Leo. What was with Splinter today? First he acted like he was in a bad move when he told Raph that he wasn't going to put up with his attitude, and then he turned around and announced simple rolling. Easy.

Right?

"My shoulder…ouch,"

Don winced in pain as he applied an icepack to Mike's shoulder; which was, as Raph called it, a multitude of pretty colors of red, blue, purple and black.

"How did you manage to roll into the weights Mikey?" Leo asked with a hint of amusement.

"Well when you're rolling, it's kinda hard to see straight when you're upside down and you only see forwards once." Mikey said in his defense.

"Funny," Raph smirked. "You're the only one who ran into them."

When it was Mike's turn to roll, instead of doing a simple roll like Splinter requested, he had decided to do several which resulted in him crashing to the weight holder, knocking it around and dropping one of Raph's fifty pound weights on his shoulder.

"I'm just glad it didn't hit your head," Don told him as he applied another layer of ice to keep down the swelling. "Now that would've hurt."

"Gee Don," Raph walked up to Mikey, gently punching him in his bruised shoulder. "It wouldn't have mattered; he would've been out of it anyway."

Mikey hissed as Raph's fist connected, "Thanks Raph." He said sarcastically.

Raph backed away. "Well, now that I think of it, maybe it should've hit your head."

Don cocked his head at his older brother. "And why do you say that?"

"Cause at least then he would've hit his head and nothin important."

Mikey stuck out his tongue in reply. Leo gave the red clad turtle a look. Don shook his head and went into his lab and dragging Mikey with him, knowing very well what lay ahead. It seemed Raph did too.

"Raph, we need to talk." Leo crossed his arms at his brother. Raph copied with a sneer.

"Now what Fearless?"

"You should go talk to Splinter and apologize." Leo told him.

Raph snorted. "Leo," he attempted to calm down. "I was there for practice, I bowed to Splinter and I was only rude a few times."

Leo uncrossed his arms. "No Raph. You were late for practice, again. You gave a disrespectful and lazy bow to Splinter and you were rude quite more than a few times. Splinter is not only our father but also our teacher. I'd think you'd show him a bit more respect to him."

"Well excuse me for not being the perfect son," Raph growled. "That's role's already been taken, as has the lazy son and the smart son. What's that leave me with Leo?"

"How about the respectful son. Or the helpful." Leo suggested coldly.

Raph chuckled, shaking his head. Leo watched him with watchful eyes but wasn't prepared for what had happened next. One second he was watching his brother laugh like some crazed scientist, the next he was on the floor, blood dripping from his check. Raph stood over him, his fist ready to deliver another blow when Mikey and Don rushed from the lab, grabbing Raph and dragging him away from the stunned Leo.

"Snap out of it Raph!" Don shouted as he struggled to contain his brother.

"Let it go bro," Mikey pleaded, his blue eyes flashing. "Drop it and walk away." He held onto the red clad turtle, his knuckles turned white with strain.

He knew Raph was strong, but jeez…

"Raphael!" Splinter's voice shouted. Everyone froze and turned to see Splinter, "That is enough." He motioned for Mikey and Don to release Raph. They both dropped their grips and went to stand by Leo, who was already on his feet, holding a hand to his bleeding check.

Raph glared at the blue clad turtle, anger burning inside like a wildfire. This was one he hadn't been able to control.

"What is the meaning of this?" Splinter demanded, turning his attention to Raph.

"He," he pointed at Leo, biting back the cuss word. "He…" He was at a loss for words. He turned his head away, clenching and unclenching his fists in a repeated pattern.

"Raphael," Splinter's voice turned cold. Raph was surprised to see and hear so much anger coming from their sensei; who was usually so calm and collected. "If you can not control your anger here, then I suggest you take it away from here. I will not have your brash actions and uncontrolled anger ruining the peace of this home. Now I suggest you leave and do not return until you have calmed yourself and realized the wrong doings of your actions."

Raph was slightly in shock. _Leave?_ His Master Splinter had told him to leave his home and not come back until he changed. Which really meant don't come back. Ever.

"You punish me for defense," he seethed. "When I never started it. You're not giving me a chance here - just jumping straight to Leo's side!"

"You had every chance to get up and walk away." Splinter told him calmly. "I expect to be able to trust you; never to see one so _brutally_," he singled the word out like it was some kind of curse. "Attack another, especially not a brother." He let out a sigh.

Raph had a million feelings cross over his face at the words. Pain, rage, fear guilt, shame. His father took Leo's side - he always had and always will. What was the point of even defending himself anymore? Leo could stab him in the heart and Splinter would brush it off and say Raph taunted him and left him no choice.

"I sometimes doubt my decision to train you. It seems my teachings have done nothing but encouraged this behavior. I had hoped through learning this ancient art, you would learn to control your bitter fury, the rage I saw even when you were young." Splinter's eyes clouded over. "I fear I have created what you are now." His ears suddenly snapped back, touching the fur on his neck. His whiskers twitched with embarrassment. "My son, I did not mean…"

Raph turned away. He was finished listening. If that how his father, the one who was supposed to love him the most, felt, then perhaps he should leave. Forever.

_After all_, he thought bitterly_, I don't want to bring a bad name his father's dream family. _

He hung his head as a thought escaped his lips. "That's fine." He whispered hoarsely. "If I no longer please my master, then I no longer bring honor to this family or this clan. If I do not bring honor, then I bring shame. I am no longer worthy to call myself your son or to have a place in this family or this home." Reaching behind his head, he began to undo his mask knots.

Mikey sucked in a breath as he watched his brother, his hero, about to make the choice that would affect all of them. He turned his pleading blue eyes on Leo, who was supposed to stop this, make it all right. But the blue clad turtle just stood there, shock etched on his face.

Raph finished untying and brought his hands away, letting the red mask slide to the floor. He stood in front of his father for a moment and their eyes met. Then Raph turned away, and left the room, leaving behind the thing he treasured and marked who he was and what he stood for. His mask.

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Well here it is. I've been curently working on this story for three months and I'm pleased to say that I'm almost finished with it. I'll try and update once (or twice, if I get bunch of juicy reviews) a week, so you won't have to wait long. I really hope you all enjoy it and I want to thank the IncreibleDancingBetty for her encouragement in this. Well, I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter and I should have the second one up soon! **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey again. Wow, second chapter. I've decided that I'll update every Monday, since it's already complete. Thanks so much to the people who reviewed last time ~ you guys make my day. Sorry this is so short but, the next few ones will be longer. Um...I don't own any TMNT characters but the odd ones to do belong to me. Happy Reading!**_

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Mikey watched, stunned, as Raph left the room. His brother made no sound, only retreated quietly to his room. He turned to Donny; his brother face was also shocked. He finally turned to Leo.

"Leo?" his asked quietly.

Leo said nothing, his eyes remaining on the abandoned red mask.

"Leo?" he tried again.

Leo finally tore his eyes from the mask, disbelieving. No, his brother really didn't mean those things. By supper, he'd be back to his normal, grumpy self and wondering why nobody bothered to pick his mask up when he dropped it. He and Raph would have a brotherly, heart-to-heart chat, hug and apologize furiously. Just like they always did.

He straightened up. "Leave him be Mikey. He just needs to cool down, as do we all." He turned and walked away, leaving the mask on the ground.

Don, unwilling to change the flow, copied his older brother and retreated to his lab. Mikey turned with desperate eyes to Splinter. But the old rat was already making his way back to his own room to meditate. They all left the mask on the ground to wait for it's master's return and for it to be replaced on the hotheaded turtle's face once again.

Mikey fell to his knees beside the mask and scooped it up. He held it as if he were holding a brand new baby. He shook it lightly to remove any dust from the dirty floor of the lair. When it was clean enough to please him, he held it to his plastron, right above his heart, and began to weep.

Raph silently began to undo his pads, sliding of his wristbands. He untied his belt and caught it before it slid to floor. Within five minutes, everything was lined neatly on the bed. He held his sai's, his beloved sai's, trying to decide if he could part with them or not. Those weapons and him and been through allot together; war, fights, and had saved his life, as well as his 'brothers' more than once.

_They're part of your old life_, a voice inside told him.

The voice was right. If he could part with his mask, his weapons should be no different. Still, he shook as he laid down the sai's. He would wait, until tonight, before leaving. He didn't want anybody trying to stop him (not that they really cared), but he couldn't stand to see Mike's blue eyes, or hear him crying. He was strong, but it took a very strong man not to cave in at the sight of his baby brother's eyes.

He glanced at the clock on the small table beside his bed. It was almost suppertime. Obviously, Mikey would try and get him to come to dinner, so he went ahead and locked his door. He then got under his bed and pulled out a shoebox, putting in on the bed. Inside were a worn, but very warm trench coat and a hat. He would have to bring those, especially since it was always cold at night and it was winter. He would bring a small, very small, duffle bag with him that held only lightweight things. He stuffed the coat and hat tightly in that bag before glancing around his room. He walked over to his dresser and looked at all the photo's he had. There were a lot of them with him and Mikey. Despite the longing he had to grab one, he left them alone and went on his search of his other pictures.

There was a good one with him and Casey and April. Unfortunately, at the side was Leo. Grabbing his sai, his sliced the picture in half, cutting Leo off from the rest of the picture with him and the others. He gently folded up the picture and placed it in a separate zipper at the end of the bag so it wouldn't get torn or ripped. There was one with him standing with his bike, so he placed it with the other picture.

Even though he couldn't take his bike, he still wanted to remember the positive things from his old home.

His gaze traveled over all the others when he eyes landed on one with him and Splinter. He was kneeling beside his father, an arm around each other. They were both smiling and Raph couldn't help but think back to those days when they were both content. Now?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

He shook his head and grabbed one more with just Casey and April before searching the rest of his room. He reached under his bed, looking for another box where he hid his money when his fingers wrapped around something furry and soft.

What the…?

He pulled out an old bear, one that Mikey had given to him when they were little. He was sick and confined to the lair and Mikey desperately wanted to make Raph feel better so he went up (Raph had no idea how he did it without being caught), and bought Raph a bear with his own money. Around the bear's neck was a red bow.

Since Splinter didn't know that Mikey had gone up, Raph was forced to keep the bear hidden. It was his and Mike's secret. He fingered the soft fur beneath his fingers before placing it on his bed. Mikey would want it back. He stripped his bed a sheet and a small pillow before placing them in the bag. He didn't fancy sleeping on cardboard.

He filled his bag with a few more odds and ends; things with either to much meaning to him to leave behind or things he would need. Soon the small bag was full. Raph set it by the corner of his door and lay down on his bed, waiting for night. Then he would be gone.

"Raph?"

Fifteen minutes had passed after Raph had finished packing when he heard his little brother's voice.

"Can I come in bro?"

Raph ignored the voice. It was hard and he felt tears start to threaten him when he heard the hurt in his voice.

"Please Raph?"

Mikey stood outside his brother's room; secretly hoping he would open the door. Silence was all he heard.

"I made fried chicken!" he called, hoping the mention of Raph's favorite food would bring him around.

Stillness.

Don passed by him, giving him a sympathetic look. Don knew Raph wasn't going to answer the door.

"Raph, please come to dinner." Mikey kept trying. As the seconds ticked by, his heart ached more and more. His brother was suffering and nobody seemed to care.

Leo approached Mikey, also wishing that Raph would answer the door. "Mikey, come on and eat." Leo encouraged. "If he doesn't want to come out then he can miss the best fried chicken in the world. It's his loss, and that just means more for us." Leo attempted to lighten his brother's mood.

Mikey gave Leo a small smile, but his heart wasn't in it. "Okay." He sighed as he left the door to join his family in the dining room.

Raph breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his brother's footsteps echo away.

He must have dozed off because when he woke up, it was nearly one in the morning. He half wondered why he woke up at this hour when he remembered. Getting to his feet, he unlocked his door.

The lair was dark and quiet. Everyone was asleep.

_Didn't really think I'd leave_. Raph thought in amusement as he grabbed his bag.

He was about to reach for the door handle when something stopped him. It was a feeling like he still had something to do first. And he knew what it was. Quietly dropping his bag, he went back into his room and grabbed his bear. Silently, he went into Mike's room.

The orange clad turtle was sleeping soundly, his face with a small smile on it. His blankets were tossed in the floor, evidence from a dream. Raph lovingly ran his hand over Mike's domed head.

"Raph?" Mikey muttered with his eyes still closed. He quickly went back to sleep, snoring gently.

"Yeah bro," Raph whispered. He knelt down and did something he rarely ever did anymore; he kissed his baby brother on the top of his head. Gently raising one of Mike's arms, he slid the bear under his arm. Mikey clutched at the bear like his life depended on it and Raph could almost swear that tender grin got bigger.

Attached the bear's red bow, was a note to Mikey. There was also one for April, Casey and Angel, but none for Splinter, Don or Leo.

Raph felt tears threaten him again and he let one pass. It rolled slowly down his cheek, hitting Mike's sheets. "Bye bro." He whispered. He stood, tucking his brother in with the fallen blanket.

His brother sleeping peacefully was the last sight Raph had of his family before he walked out the door. He clicked behind him and the turtle family became one less that night.

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**_PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. MORE REVIEWS MAKE A HAPPY AUTHOR AND IF I CAN GET ABOVE 10 REVIEWS I'LL UPDATE ANOTHER CHAPTER THIS WEEK! THANKS SO MUCH!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's chapter 3, like promised. Big thanks to julia for her review which gave us the big number 10! Also thanks to the following people: Alora05, Starfire201, Opera-Gypsy, UHN, Angel362, Ruthia, and 1woof1 for your wonderful reviews! **

**Um....still don't own the TMNT characters. (still pouts)**

**Please enjoy and read the extra comments on the bottom!!!!!**

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When Mikey awoke the next morning, something felt different. The air held an unfamiliar change to it. He threw back the covers when he realized there was a small, brown bear in his hands. He frowned.

He'd gotten rid of all his stuffed animals but two years ago. All he had left was a small stuffed turtle he named Shelly and a small cat he called Snorkels. Even now he wondered who would name a stuffed cat Snorkel.

He studied the bear, wondering why it looked so familiar. He couldn't place where he'd seen it before but it definitely belonged to one of the turtles.

With a shrug, he threw it down on his covers and went downstairs. Splinter was busy drinking tea while reading one of the papers April had brought down for him every week. Leo was busy making himself tea and Donnie was trying to fix omelets. By the smell in the kitchen and the wrinkled nose of Splinter and the pained look on Leo, Mikey guess Don wasn't succeeding.

"Need help there, bro?" he teased as he walked up to Don.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief as the smoke alarm went off. By the look on Donny's face, it hadn't been the first time this morning. With a sigh, he handed the fork to Mikey and went to sit down at the table. A fresh cup of coffee was already there, waiting for him.

Within fifteen minutes each member of the family had a steamed, good looking and smelling omelet placed before them. Mikey sat five plates down and passed them out. There was an empty chair where Raph sat so Mikey set a plate down, knowing that Raph would be in at any second. He was always the last to get up.

"Looks good Mike." Leo congratulated his youngest brother as he took a bite. "Not burned either."

Don shot him a dirty look as he took a bite out of his own.

He was very thankful someone in the family knew how to cook; otherwise they'd have take-out very often. Chewing, he observed how everything mixed in perfectly and how there wasn't too much or too little of anything. Even after all these years, Mike's cooking never ceased to amaze everyone.

Mikey grinned at Leo, but inside he wondered where Raph was. He was usually up by now.

Splinter was talking to Donnie, but he was also wondering why the red masked turtle wasn't up yet. Although Raph had need to be taught a lesson, the way he had gone about it had been wrong. He needed to apologize. The mask that Raph had dropped was gone, so surely he'd be down soon.

Even though no one spoke it, they all had their apologies they wanted to make. Leo starred at the empty chair; amazed someone could easily sleep the day away. After half an hour, Splinter asked Leo to go and wake his brother.

As Leo made his way up the stairs, he really hoped that the sai had been placed somewhere other than the pillow. He doubted Raph had forgiven him yet.

"Raph?" he knocked on the door. He listened for any movement.

Nothing. The only time Raph was still was when he was sleeping and even then, he snored like a chainsaw. Leo knew he could hear him if he was still asleep. Yet still, there was no noise.

"Raph, bro, I want to apologize for last night." He began, hoping Raph would at least acknowledge his presence. "I was out of line. Splinter and I had a long talk, and we both agree that for once…" he said with a hesitant laugh, waiting to see if the door would open. "You were right. Splinter wants to make a public apology, as do I." He paused. "I'm really sorry bro." He waited.

Nothing.

Concerned, he gently twisted the knob. When Raph was in his room, the door was locked to keep out unwanted guests, mainly Mikey. To his surprise, the door swung open.

Leo peered into the room, expecting to see Raph still sound asleep. With a thudding heart, Leo flipped on the light switch. The room was empty. The bed stripped of sheets and pillow and, there, on the mattress, laid his weapons and pads.

After a moment of stunned silence, Leo hollered "Master Splinter! Donny, Mikey!" Footsteps thudded up the stairs and the three skidded to a stop at the doorway. Splinter shoved past his son, expecting to see Raph out cold from a nightly brawl. What greeted him, however, was an empty room.

Mikey also shoved his way in, anxious to see if his brother was all right. "No," he chocked out, seeing the vacant area. "No!"

Don stood in shock behind his brothers. Raphael was gone.

Normally when Raph did things, there were no second thoughts. For the first time in his life, he was unsure of things.

Am I making the right choice?

Yes, of course.

Where will I go?

No voice answered. Maybe he could chill at Casey's grandmother's house for a bit.

_No, that would be the first place they look for you_, the voice told him.

Right, he knew that. He splashed through the sewers, mindful of Don's alarms. When he came to a manhole cover, he climbed up the ladder and pushed it aside. This one came up in the middle of an alley. Only a few blocks away were a place where homeless folks go. There would by plenty of trash-fires to keep him warm through the night and in the morning, he'd decide his next course of action.

Taking the back roads to avoid anyone seeing him, Raph made his way towards the gathering. Already people were huddled around trash fires, talking to one another quietly. There were some even smiling and laughing. To Raph the air smelled not of warning and danger, but of friends.

Raph had heard that these people weren't like normal homeless people, but they were always together. Instead of hogging their stuff, they shared. They protected and looked out for one another. They found out that instead of fighting, working together in the cold, hard streets made life a lot easier.

A man that seemed to be standing guard, noticed him approaching. He wore a heavy, dirty and torn overcoat. Gloves with holes in them protected him hands while a too big for his head, hat, protected his face. His eyes were brown and Raph could see curly brown hair sticking out from under his hat.

"Hey stranger." He greeted Raph. His voice was friendly.

Raph dipped his head in greeting, glad that he had covered his face before he came. Already the evening chill was seeping into his bones. "You got an extra place where I can spend the night?"

"Sure thing." He motioned a small, skinny woman over. "I'm Shaun and this is my wife, Becky."

"Pleased to meet ya." Raph ignored the woman's hand, trying not to appear rude.

"What's your name?" Becky asked. She had long, dirty light brown hair that fell to her waist, and blue eyes.

"Raphael."

"Raphael?" she gave him a friendly look. "That's a unique name. But I like it." She led him over to a corner between two buildings. "You can bunk here for tonight. Let me know if you need anything. I'm afraid we don't have much to offer, but we'll share what we have. That's how we live."

Raph nodded his head. "Thanks." He told her. As the woman walked off, he began to unpack his blanket and pillow. Grabbing a large piece of cardboard, he spread the blanket out and set down his pillow. The blanket did little to comfort the hard cement, but it did keep him warm. Immediately, he fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he began to stretch when he noticed something trapping his arms. Snapping his head down to look, a small grin appeared on his face. Four little kids, two on each arm, had snuggled down with him under the blanket. There were three little boys and a little girl.

They obviously were cold because they were each pressed as close as they could get to him, their arms even around each other. A shadow passed over him and he noticed Becky starring at him.

"Sorry about that." She whispered, not to disturb the children. "Last night got down to thirty and everyone had to share what they had to keep warm. These kids lost their parents a few months ago and ran away so they wouldn't be put in an orphanage. All the blankets were taken but yours…" she gave him a weak smile. "I'm really sorry."

Raph carefully slid his arms out from the kids and stood up, being sure to cover them back up. "It's all right." He told her. "I used to have three brothers. I don't mind sharing-we had to do that a lot."

"You have three brothers?" she hesitated. "What happened?"

Raph shrugged his shoulders, trying to make it appear that it didn't bother him. "My father kicked me out. I was the black sheep of the family and could never live up to my father's expectations. He told me to leave and not to come back till I changed."

Becky's face softened. "Sorry to hear that. What will you do now?"

Raph opened his mouth, sure that a good idea would tumble out. When none did, Becky giggled. "Ya could have just asked."

"What?"

Becky waved her hand around at all the people. "See this? We're family. We love, protect and look out for one another. Unlike a lot of people, we always have room for one more."

Raph ran a hand down his face trying to make it appear that he didn't care. He froze. His face was uncovered. He felt around his face, horror dawning on him.

Crap.

Becky seemed to notice what he was doing and reached out a hand to stop his frantic movements. "No, you don't have to cover your face."

Raph stopped and starred. "You don't mind be being green and all?"

Becky shrugged. "One thing about here that I love is that nobody is judged because of how they look. If you want to be green-nobody will look at you any different. If you're missing a limb-no one will shy away. We welcome all."

Raph couldn't believe his ears. They would take him in? Then he ducked his head. "Na, you don't want me here. Trust me."

"Any why not?" she stuck her hands on her hips.

"Cause I'm dangerous." He whispered. He shook his head in shock. What in the world was he about to tell this woman? He was supposed to be the strong one.

"Dangerous?" she starred at him in shock. "Is that why you were kicked out?" At his meek nod, she spun him around to face the people. "See that teen over there in the black? That's Tim. He's been in jail five times; one attacking his teacher because she treated him unfairly, once for punching his mother because she wouldn't let him go to a party just because she was too lazy to drive him there, one for attacking a kid who was teasing his best friend and twice for attacking a cop for stealing. He did that to feed his family." She pointed out a young girl. "See her? Her parents abused her so instead of becoming shy, she reacts the opposite way and attacks people. She's getting better though."

"Cause she's surrounded by people who love her." Raph finished. "Maybe…maybe I'll hang around; see what's what." Not daring to hope that someone could love him.

Becky gave him a giant hug. "Oh, you don't have to wear that huge coat to cover your shell." She grinned.

Raph felt his dark green face go about five shades lighter. He felt his coat with one of his hands and went another five shades. There was a giant hole in the coat-no wonder it was stuck under his bed.

"Shell." He muttered.

Becky said. "You don't have to worry. There were quite a few people in here that you saved from Purple Dragons; they say you're okay." She motioned another girl over.

A girl walked to them. She was tall and thin. She had sparkling blue eyes and jet-black hair. She wore a maroon colored shirt and dark blue sweat pants. She gave him a cool, sparkling smile.

"Hi, I'm Suri." She blinked at him. "Hey, aren't you one of those turtle guys?"

"You know me?"

Suri shrugged. "Who doesn't? Almost everyone here who's homeless knows about you guys. You're a myth waiting to be proven. Some believe, some don't."

Raph gave her a wiry grin. "I guess some are going to have a leap of faith tonight, eh?"

"Sure will. At first, I'll be honest," she held up her hands in a slow-down motion. "I didn't believe either. I mean, come on, four ninja turtles? Well, I think you're the one who saved me that night." She closed her eyes, as if she was reliving the memory.

(FLASHBACK)

Her shoe's slapped the concrete in a frantic pattern as she struggled to outrun the two teenage boys chasing her. They were both high and drunk; a bad thing for a girl to run into.

Her breath came out in raged gasps. She glanced over her shoulder.

They were catching up.

She saw an alley up ahead, knowing that that would be her best bet if she wanted to give them the slip. She slipped into the alley. She suddenly realized her mistake. There was no way out.

The fire escapes were too high up for her to climb. The alley was a dead end and all the doors were locked.

She backed against the dumpster, her heart racing wildly.

Here they come!

"Hey pretty girl." One of the boys slurred. Her stumbled towards her smiling drunkenly, his eyes wide and crazy. "Me and Timmy here just wanna have some fun. Right Tim?"

"Yeah. That's right." The other boy gave her a wild smile. "Come here baby and let Parker show you how to have fun."

"I don't think so boys." A deep, gruff voice hissed from a shadow. "Didn't your mama ever tell ya to be nice to girls? Or it come back and bite you."

Timmy threw up his fists, looking around franticly. "Show yourself!" he screamed.

Suri had planned to make a run for it when she heard the voice, but something held her back.

She had second thoughts about running when she saw a large, green turtle walking towards her. But she seemed to be frozen in place. He had a red mask the color of blood tied around his head. The tails of the mask blew out behind him in breeze, only to land on a scarred shell.

She was real creeped out when she saw him outlined against the full moon. He gave her a chilling look .His eyes held a lust…for blood. She backed up farther against the dumpster.

The turtle pulled from his leather belt two weird looking weapons. They had three pointed prongs, with the one in the middle slightly longer than the other two. The handles were wrapped in the same red as the mask.

He lunged forward. A few punches and a split-kick and both boys lay on the ground.

"You okay?" He asked as turned towards her. Suri was surprised to hear a calmer, gentler edge to his voice, and the look in his eyes was calm.

"Yeah." She said. She gulped. "T-t-thanks."

He gave her a nod as he jumped and grabbed the fire escape bar with one hand and pulled himself up. Suri admired his muscles as he jumped, and watched him go. For a turtle, he was very nimble and light on his feet.

"Geesh! And I always thought turtles were supposed to be slow." She murmured again as she walked down the alley, back to the street and into the night. She turned back and looked up, hoping to see him one more time. "Thanks. I owe you one."

Raph tried to remember that time. He'd rescued so many girls and women from men like that, he'd lost count.

"Their names were Tommy and Parker." She offered, hoping it would jog his memory.

Raph thought long and hard. Those names did sound familiar.

After all, when anyone was doing something wrong, they tended not to say their names, especially not in the middle of the street.

"Wait!" he snapped his fingers. "I remember! The alley way and those to drunk kids who just couldn't see to stay standing."

She nodded her head. "Yeah." She ran her fingers through her hair. "Wow! I'm glad I finally get to thank you without stumbling all over my tongue."

Raph acknowledged her thanks with a tip of his head.

Her eyes narrowed. "Hey, aren't there four of you? I heard there were four. I guess they could have been seeing you over and over, huh?"

Becky gave a slight cough and rolled on her feet. Suri glanced from her nervous look to Raph's sudden glare.

"Those others you heard of were my brothers," he hissed angrily. "And they no longer exist in my life."

Suri had a sudden thought; maybe they'd died. "So that's why you're here; you've lost your family."

"Not dead," he corrected her as if he knew her thoughts. "Just kicked out."

"Well then," she spread her arms. "You'll stay here with us." She said, not leaving any room for discussion.

"Thank you." Raph for once, meant it. "Thanks."

* * *

**Now one big thing I would like to let all my readers know is I know that homeless people don't usually group together like this. All this will be explained later on in the book so please don't tell me that doesn't happen. I know that!!! Thanks so much! **

**No flames...any and all will be used to heat the fires for the poor homeless people. OR I could fix brownies, or cookies. Both sound yummy!**

**As always, love reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Well, it's now currently 12:15 am when I'm updating so it is Monday. Um, still don't own any TMNT character but I do own all the OC's. In this chapter, the whole stuffed bear will be explained in this chapter. It's kinda a brotherly chapter and, well, you'll just have to read it! **_

_**Big welcome to a new reviewer - r33k00b34r - for the great review! And thanks to all the other people who reviewed as well!**_

* * *

Mikey nervously paced the hallway as he listened to Leo talking with April and Casey.

"Are you sure neither of you saw him last night?" Leo let out a sigh. "Okay April, thanks." Mikey burst into the room the second he heard the phone click.

"Anything?" he asked hopefully.

Leo regretfully shook his head. "Sorry Mikey, no. They'll be over in an hour to help us search though. Why don't you go get your Turtle Titian out? That way, while we search, you can go see Silver Sentry and the other superheroes. Maybe they'll keep an eye out for Raph."

Mikey brightened slightly at the mention of getting his uniform. Although none of the brothers really enjoyed Mikey and the dumb outfit together, Leo had to admit that it did come in handy.

Mikey ran into his room. Throwing open his closet door he revealed the clean and pressed costume. Mikey grinned.

_And my they thought I couldn't keep anything clean._

He carefully laid it on the bed and started to strip off his pads when the small bear on his bed caught his eye. With a sigh, he stopped and sat down on the bed, starring at the bear in his hands. A small white envelope caught his eyes, hidden carefully in the bow around the bear's neck.

With shaking fingers, he removed it. Inside were three pieces of paper, all neatly folded into small squares. On them were written in very familiar handwriting.

Michelangelo

April and Casey

Angel

A sudden memory hit him. This wasn't just any bear; it was Raph's.

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

_"Achoo!" a sneeze echoed through the lair. Mikey paused from his coloring books, wondering where the sound came from._

_"Achoo! Achoo!" Weak sniffling followed the sound._

_Leo entered the room, looking around before letting his gaze settle on Mikey. "What was that?" Six-year-old Leo asked._

_Mikey shrugged, wincing as he heard several more sneezes. Don walked into the room carrying what Mikey assumed was an old Walkman, in his tiny three-fingered hands._

_"Was that you two?" he asked. They both shook their heads. "Where's father?"_

_"I'm right here my sons." He said as he moved into the room, a frown on his face._

_"What was that?" Mikey asked, cocking his head._

_Splinter sat down on the old green couch, gathering his three sons in his arms and snuggling them into his fur. "I'm afraid Raphael is sick my sons. You must not go near him, but let him heal."_

_Mikey suddenly remembered watching a late night movie alone, when Splinter was gone. Someone had gotten very sick and died._

_"Is Raphie going to die?" he asked in a small voice, tears filling his eyes._

_Splinter flicked an ear at his child's question. "Of course not, my son. He will not die as people in movies do." He said with one eyebrow raised._

_His youngest really hadn't thought he was going to get away with watching a horror movie that late at night did he? He'd fallen asleep crying when the person died._

_"No my son. It's just the flu. He'll be alright in a few days." Splinter gave him a reassuring smile. "But for now, if you must see him, please stay back from him. I do not wish for you to fall ill as well."_

_Leo and Donny both nodded, their brown eyes wide. Mikey nodded his head as well, not truly understanding what was being said. Father looked pleased when they had nodded, and Mikey wanted Father to be pleased._

_Master Splinter was surprised when Michelangelo nodded his head as well. He wasn't quite sure that the youngest turtle understood everything, but he understood enough. After all, his children were not liars. He excused himself, saying that he was going to gather supplies. He wanted Raphael well almost as bad as three brothers did._

_As soon as Splinter was safely out of the lair, Don turned to his brothers._

_"I'm going to get on the computer and see if I can get some information about the flu. Make Raphie better."_

_Leo nodded his head, once again taking control when Splinter wasn't around. "Alright. Father taught me how to make soup with the fire so I'm going to make Raphael some soup. Mikey" he turned to the eager smallest turtle. "You just stay out of our way and let us work."_

_Mike's face fell as his two brothers went about making his brother better. He wanted to help, too; but how?_

_He wasn't old enough to light a fire; according to Father and Leo. Even Raph, who was the second oldest wasn't allowed. Father said simply because he wasn't old enough, but Mikey knew that wasn't all._

_He had no clue how to work the 'puter. All the buttons looked the same to him. The one time he tried, he thought he broke it cause the screen went all black on him. Don said he hit the 'off' button and that he didn't break it. To Mikey though, off and broke were the same thing. The screen was black regardless._

_How can I make Raphie feel better so he can play? Mikey thought with a frown._

_He walked over to his small bed (a mattress on the floor with a small pillow and a large blanket) and reached into his pillowcase. With a grin, he revealed a small, green sheet of paper with a 20 on it. He knew the numbers were two and zero, he just didn't know what they were together._

_Sticking it back into the safety of his pillowcase, he went to ask Donnie. After all, Donnie knew everything._

_He saw his older brother typing on the 'puter again, the small scowl he always got when he did. Father told him it was his 'thinking face', but Mikey thought there was some aliens in the computer, trying to suck Donnie into the white screen._

_That would explain why the screen was always black when he and his brothers got on, but white when Donnie did. They choose Donnie._

_He ran to his brother's side, fearfully looking up at the computer._

_Maybe if they saw him, they'd go away._

_Sure enough, no aliens but funny markings that Father called words. Mikey was proud to say he knew a few, but the word sizes were making him dizzy. Donny seemed to understand, cause he was still staring. He jumped when Mikey laid a hand on his arm._

_"Mikey!" Don jumped with surprise. Calming his racing heart, he turned to the youngest turtle. "I'm busy, what is it?"_

_Mikey wasn't sure how to explain the funny green paper he found when he spotted one of those papers on the small desk._

_"What's that?" he pointed to the green paper. This one had a 1 on it._

_Donnie sighed impatiently. "It's called money Mikey."_

_"What's it do?"_

_Donnie brightened at the thought of teaching his brother something. Whenever he tried in the past, trying to teach them about the atmosphere and knights on large horses called Warhorses, he got funny looks, but no ears._

_"The humans use it to buy stuff." Don explained. "Sensei said it was very important to them and that's how they buy nice toys and food and stuff."_

_Mikey picked up the bill carefully. "What's the number?"_

_Don gently pulled it from the turtle's little hands. "It's a one Mikey. Father is going to save up a bunch of them and go get a pizza when he has enough."_

_Mikey loved pizza! "How much money does pizza take?"_

_Don corrected him. "You mean how much is the pizza? It's twelve dollars Mikey. So Father needs twelve of these?"_

_Mikey put on an innocent look. "What if he found money with big number. Like two and zero?"_

_Don drew a sharp intake of breath. "If Father found that much money…wow that would be huge!"_

_Mikey thanked his brother and ran into his room again. Maybe he could use money to make Raph better, then get pizza. He nodded his head. Yes, that's a good idea._

_Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Mikey carefully grabbed the money tightly and made his way to the door, grabbing his special up-top coat so nobody would see him. Father told them they were never to leave the lair without him, but this was an emergency. He had to help make Raph better so he didn't die._

_Climbing up the ladder, he used all his strength to push aside the manhole cover. The city, even at night, was alive!_

_He spotted a toy store he always stopped at to look in the window, when they went up. Carefully making his way to it, he spotted a man putting a sign in the door. The man had shoulder length black hair and big arms. He was huge compared to tiny Mikey._

_"Wait! Mister!" he yelled as he ran up._

_The man turned and frowned. "Sorry kid, we're about to close up. Come back in the morning." He added. "With your parents."_

_"Please?" Mikey carefully hid his face, but not his eyes. He starred up at the man. "My brother Raphie is sick and I need to help make him better."_

_The man was about to say no, when he looked in the kid's huge eyes. He let out a sigh. "Come on in kid. How much you got?"_

_Mikey proudly held up the money. "But," he told the man. "I need twelve ones left. For pizza." He quickly added._

_The man led him over to a shelf full of small toys. There were teddy bears, horses, puppies, kittens and other animals Mikey had never seen or heard. He scanned the shelf carefully, knowing it had to be the right one. He couldn't find anything._

_"What are you looking for kid?" the man asked gently. He'd never seen a kid act so serious about picking out a toy before, especially one that wasn't even for them "What's, uh, Raphie like?"_

_Mikey thought hard. His brother liked to be mean and hit Mikey. He liked to take his crayons and break them when he was trying to color. He liked to wrestle. Mikey could almost swear he liked getting hurt and in trouble._

_"Uh, red?" he offered._

_The man scratched his head as he scanned the shelves. "Red huh?" he walked over to another shelf and picked up a small, brown bear with a red ribbon tied around it's neck. "This work?"_

_Mikey nodded his head. It was perfect. He took the bear, as if he was holding china, and then quickly ran his hand over its head. It was fuzzy and extra soft. He held the money up to the man. The man took it over to a funny looking computer and hit a few buttons. Mikey jumped when a drawer popped out._

_He wondered if their computer could do that, especially when he saw the drawer had lots of money. And they needed money. The man handed back a bill with a five and a ten._

_"Here kid, you can have him for five bucks. Now," he ushered Mikey out the door. "Go give that to your brother and buy that pizza."_

_Mikey nodded eagerly and started to rush off when he remembered his manners. "Thanks mister!" he called as he vanished into the alley._

_The man waved and went back inside to finish closing the store. Shaking his head he thought, kids._

_Mikey quietly made his way back into the lair, thankful everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. He quietly walked into the separate room Father had set up for Raph so he wouldn't get the others sick._

_Sniffling and bloodshot eyes greeted Mikey as he went up to his brother's bed. His whole body was covered in heavy blankets, so only his eyes peeked out. His mask lay on the table next to him. He turned his teary eyes to Mikey, quickly rubbing and arm across them to get rid of any tears._

_Mikey kneeled beside his brother. "Are you okay Raphie? Are you crying?" he was worried. He didn't like it when any of his brothers cried._

_Raph let out a sniffle before nodding his head. "Ya, I'm Kay," it was hard to talk with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. "Wha ya doin, Mikey?"_

_Mikey grinned at his brother. "I got something for you. To make you better."_

_Raph tried not to role his eyes. "I don need nother picture Mike." He gestured with his hand at the stacks of drawing's Mikey had done._

_Mikey shook his head. "No, not another picture." He produced the bear from his coat. "Ta-da!"_

_Raph starred in shock at the bear, before turning his gaze to Mikey. None of them had any stuffed animals, only broken toys they found in the sewer. "Tha fer me?" he asked with wide eyes._

_"Yep." Mikey handed the bear to Raph._

_Raph slowly took the bear, not believing it. It was brand new, he could see from the lack of dirt on it. He gave his brother a grateful look and a rare smile. "It's even red." He murmured._

_"Tanks Mikey!" he whispered. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep, clutching the bear to his plastron with both arms._

_Mikey grinned from ear to ear as he went back to sleep. The look on Raph's face had made it worth it. He even remembered to stick the rest of the money on the desk for Father to find later._

_A pair of amber eyes watched the deed his youngest son performed. At first, he had failed to notice his son's absence until he snuck back into the lair. He watched with his own eyes tearing. His first reaction had been to punish his son for leaving the sewers without him, but when he saw what Mikey had the courage to do on his own, he couldn't find it in his heart to punish him. His son did it out of love for his brother. Mikey wasn't the smartest or the toughest, but he did have the biggest heart._

(End Flashback)

* * *

Mikey shook his head, bringing himself back into reality. The bear was still tightly clutched in one hand, the notes in the other. He couldn't believe Raph had kept the bear this long. He was too tough for something like this, wasn't he?

He knew they'd cleaned the room many times since then and he should have seen the bear. But he hadn't. And Raph had kept it. He couldn't understand how Raph had kept it this long and never told him. And how could he just leave like he did and not tell him that either. He set the bear on his pillow and brought out the red mask from his pillowcase.

"Mikey?" Leo stepped in the room. The first thing he noticed wasn't that Mikey wasn't in his costume, but the bear on the pillow. "What's that Mike?" curious, he reached for the bear.

Mikey snatched the bear up, eyes flaring. "Don't you touch it." He hissed. "It's not yours."

"And it's not your either." Leo snapped back. "Whose is it?"

"It's Raph's."

Leo blinked. Why was Mike in Raph's room? "What were you doing in his room?" he stepped forward. That's when he saw the notes.

Before the orange clad turtle could stop him, he'd snatched all three notes from his brother. His eyes widened when he recognized the handwriting's. Seeing the first letter had Michelangelo written on it, he assumed one was for him and the other for Don. But when he went to read the names on the other two he, he could feel his heart break. They weren't addressed to them as he'd assumed.

Angel.

With a calming breath and a racing heart, he looked at the last one.

April and Casey.

Mikey starred at the floor as his brother went through them. He obviously thought there had been a note for him.

"Is this all he left?" he asked, barely managing to breathe. It wasn't Mikey's fault.

"Yes." Mikey said in a small voice.

By then Don and Splinter had joined them. Starring in shock at the notes, emotions hit like a hard wind.

Anger, betrayal, sorrow.

"Would you be willing to read us the note he left for you Michelangelo?" Splinter asked his son. He wanted to hear what lay heavy on his son's heart.

With a shaky nod, he opened the note and began to read.

**Dear Mikey,**

**I'm sorry it came down to this. I really am. But I want you to understand that it has never worked out; it never will. While in ways it's not your fault, it is. Just like you rely on Leo and Splinter, I too needed someone to lean on. To be heard. I couldn't lean on Leo; while he was my best friend at one time, I guess you could say he grew up without me. Don, don't get me wrong ,I love him as much as I do any of you, but I've never felt connected or bonded to him in anyway. Besides, he never has time for anyone except he 'toys'. Then there's you Mikey,**

Mikey paused, feeling tears run down his cheeks.

**I've always known you were there. We fight side by side; we protected and looked out for one another, whether it was on the streets, in battle, or even at home. I don't think you ever really saw it, but I did. Mikey, I know you've said that I'm your hero, but Mikey, you're mine too. Lately, I've given you the shoulder to cry on; but where's mine? I'm not blaming you. I'm supposed to be tougher than you. Right? Huh. I know I'm the tough brother and everything, but sometimes I needed someone to lean on. Mikey, since I'll never see you again, I thought I should let you know that in everyway, with a Turtle Titan costume on or not, you're my hero. You make me laugh; you give me a personal punching bag; heck, you give me exercise with our daily chases after a prank. But more than that, I saw you were the only one who came to get me at dinner. You're the only one who wanted me at the table. So I thank you for that. It meant more to me then you'll ever know. I know Leo, Don or sensei might get their hands on this and read it so I just want you to know that you're my little brother Mikey and I love you to death. Whatever happens; wherever I go, just take the bow off the bear and I'll be there. The bear, I've kept it all these years to remember that deed you did for me when we were young. Rarely a day goes by when I don't pull out that bear at least once. Even though you don't know it, the love in that bear from you is still there. Whenever I needed to feel you, I just pulled out that bear and was reminded of your love. So next time you need my love, you pull out that bear. So, I can't write forever, even though I have so much more to tell you. I can sum it up in a few words; I love you Mikey. You're my hero. Love ya forever.**

**Your big brother 4 ever,**

**Raphael**

**

* * *

**

_**Please don't kill the author. (runs and hides) I promise there will be action in a few chapters. Um, please review and tell me what you think. More reviews = faster updates!**_

_**evil, I know. HE-HE!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter five. I'm feeling really generous so I'd thought I'd update sooner. I got a bunch of great reviews for my other chapters (20 total - yeah!) so I really hope you enjoy. Feel free to ask questions, but I might not answer them if they're going to be answered later on the in the story (might even give you chapter number so you can watch for it in that chapter), but if you're confused or curios, just let me know. Let me know how soon I should update!**

* * *

As Mikey read those last few words; he felt shock creeping on him. He was his brother's hero? He glanced up at Leo, Don and Splinter.

Leo had his eyes tightly closed. As obvious at it may have been, he still had tears leaking from his eyes. His blue bandana was already soaked from the tears that had fallen from the letter.

_Where have I been all these years?_ Leo thought bitterly to himself. _Raph was right in that letter; I did grow up without him. I left him behind; he would have waited. Some leader I am. I didn't even see. How could I have missed it? All the signs were there, and all I saw was how he didn't want to be around any of us. Right now, I don't much want to be around me either._

Don felt like someone had put a bullet in the heart. As the genius of the family, he thought he could have at least tried a little harder. When Raph confessed that Don had never really been there for him, he knew that that was true. The only one in the lab besides him was Mikey and mostly he's just a nuisance. Raph only came if he needed something fixed.

_Is that all he really came in there for? _His brain asked him.

**

* * *

(FLASHBACK)**

_Raph gently scooped up the remains of his shell cell. He and Casey had been roughhousing and it was kinda flattened. Again._

_With a sigh, he opened the door to Don's lab. His tech-head brother was leaning over a laptop, his screw busily at work inside._

_"Um, Don?" Raph called out. He had hoped the purple clad turtle had heard the door open; he didn't want to cause Don to make a mistake; although when Donny was busy, a tornado could pass by and he'd ignore it._

_Don jumped, fortunately taking the tool with him. He rounded on his brothers, seething behind his purple mask._

_Seeing he held something, he stopped before he said something that he might regret later. "What did you break this time?" he asked as calmly as he could._

_Raph sheepishly held up the broken phone. "Uh, Casey did it?" he offered weekly._

_Don let out a breath in a short huff. Turning back to his work, he waved his older brother away. "Put it on the table; I'll get to it later this evening."_

_"Why not now?" Raph asked. "You could show me how to fix it so I wouldn't have to keep coming back to you."_

_Don snorted. "You? Come on Raph, don't make me laugh. No. Why bother? If I teach you how to fix it, then you'll keep breaking it. The problem is, you'll forget everything I show you and just come whining back to me with it in worse condition from you trying to fix it."_

_It was so tempting to yell._

_"Just leave it on the table. I'll fix it…if I can." Don turned and started working again. He faintly heard the sound of the multiple phone pieces hitting one of his tables and the creak of the door as it closed._

_With a sigh of relief, he got back to work._

**(End Flashback)**

* * *

A hurricane of guilt flooded over Don. Raph had tried to spend time with him; he just was to blind to see it.

No wonder Raph never felt close to him; he was never around enough to get close too.

_Oh Raph_, Don whispered as tears welled up. _Can you ever forgive me?_

Leo noticed his brother's tears and put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

He rubbed his brother's shell comfortingly. "Well find him, don't worry. And when we do, we'll make it up to him."

"But how?" Mikey asked.

"Well find a way." Leo told them. "I promise."

* * *

Raph let out a huge yawn as he turned back into the empty warehouse he and his new 'family' had found. It was suicide to stay out in the weather as cold as it was and with snow on the way…

"Raphie." Sammy, a 5-year-old little girl, called out as she ran up to him, proudly showing him a picture she had colored. It had him (or what looked like it was supposed to be him because it was green and had an odd shell looking thing on his back) and her holding hands. Both of them had lopsided smiles.

Raph knelt down besides her, admiring the picture.

"That's very nice Sammy." He told her. She beamed at his praise. "Why don't you go show your mommy and daddy?"

Sammy nodded and bounded off, her small golden girls bouncing. Raph chuckled as he watched her go. Cute thing.

"Sammy is something else isn't she?" a man behind him said.

Raph turned, brightening at the man. "Hey Joey." He greeted the young man.

"Raphael." Joey returned the greeting. "So how do you like it here?"

"It's nice." Raph said with a smile. "There are tons of kids, teens my age, and for once, I'm helping people face-to-face."

Joey nodded. "Yeah, and everyone appreciates the fact that you brought them some more food and blankets. Now that winter's here, it'll be hard." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell Sammy this, but I'm afraid this family is going to have two less this year."

Raph's eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

Joey nodded again. "They're both giving all the food the find to Sammy. They're slowly starving. And being the proud people they are, they won't except hand outs, so it's only a matter of time."

Raph glanced to see the eager five year old showing her very weak parents her pictures. "Poor kid."

"I know, I just hope they make it until Christmas."

"So do I." Raph agreed quietly as he moved away. "So do I."

He sat lost in his own thoughts and didn't notice when Suri walked over and joined him. "Hey Raph!"

Raph brightened. "Hey Suri."

Suri flashed his a smile. "Want to head out before it gets too cold."

"You sure?" he motioned to the darkness outside.

"Raph," she pulled on a jacket. "I'm a street girl-what's a little dark?"

Raph grinned as he joined her race to the door. "Read my mind."

"Like a book." She called as she vanished into the darkness.

"Yeah!" she screamed as the jumped the rooftops. Raph gave a holler beside her, grateful for the exercise.

Ten minutes later, panting, they both stopped.

"Wow." Suri panted, her breath coming out like smoke from a chimney. "I haven't had that much fun in ages."

"I know," Raph grinned. "It's only been a week and already I've missed that feeling."

Suri sat down on the roof, dangling her legs over the edge. She patted the seat beside her.

"Tell me more about where you come from." Raph urged her.

Suri shrugged. "Nothing really to tell. Grew up in an orphanage; got tired off being looked over like some kind of dog, then tossed aside simply because I wasn't good enough. So I packed up and ran away with my little sister."

"You have a sister?" he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You know Sammy?"

He nodded.

"Well, she's my sister."

"Explain that one." Raph demanded.

"Well, I could never be separated from Sammy so I took her with me. Met up here and those folks who are her 'parents' kinda adopted her since I wasn't old enough to look after her myself. I have enough memory of my parents, not to want another."

"You remember you parents?"

"Pieces," she told him. "Faint. Like I remember long black hair and strong arms holding me. Then I was taken away and the orphanage became my new home."

"You going to look for them?" Raph asked her as he scooted closer.

She gave him a look. "Right…I'll go up to every man and woman who has long black hair and ask if they lost a daughter sixteen years ago." She threw her hands in the air. "I can't go to the police-they'll just take me back."

Raph put an arm around her shoulders. "I could help you look.' He offered.

She was about to spit out a reply when a faint whoop in the distance caused them to freeze. Raph froze as he recognized that holler. He'd know it

anywhere.

His brothers.

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**Well, you may have seen something else down here, but I changed it. Sorry for you thinking it's a new chapter and thanks to theincredibledancingbetty**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's chapter six. A huge thank you to my good friend, theincreidbledancingbettty. Without her, this would have twice the mistakes! Thanks to all me reviewers, you guys have been great so far!**

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"Keep it down Mikey." Don ordered his little brother. "Raph could've heard you."

The three brothers, using Don's special binoculars, had spotted Raph talking to some girl in the distance. Don had designed them himself to be able to see people from a great distance and hear them as clear as day.

When they had told April where they were heading, Casey demanded he brought along. After all, he was Raph's best friend and anything that the others would be doing to bring him back, he'd be a part of.

"What are we going to do?" Casey asked.

Leo remained calm. As bad as he wanted to rush to his brother and drag him home, he knew better. "We wait." He told them. "Don, see if you can hear them talking."

Don flipped a switch and their brother's voice flooded through.

"Maybe they won't come." A girl's voice said.

"Maybe," Raph sounded unconvinced. "I could have sworn I heard one of them though."

Two turtles and one human shot the youngest turtle a dirty look.

"Sorry." He whispered.

"So what were they like?" her voice asked.

Raph gave her a small chuckle, it sounding weird through the microphone. "Well there was Mikey, the youngest. He had a wild imagination and a big heart. He had the bluest eyes; dang I can't count the number of time I was jealous."

"I think you're cute with brown eyes." The girl told him.

Mikey wriggled his eyebrows at this brothers. "Raph's in love."

"Thanks for that Suri." Despite the sarcastic tone, there was an edge of pleasure in it. "Well, then there was Don. Our very own Albert Einstein. Give him a piece of chewing gum and a wad of foil and the guy could make a armored vehicle in a matter of days."

"Sounds like you had a lot of respect for him." Suri told him.

"I wouldn't call it respect-just …I don't know. I mean, how many families do you know that have a genius in the family who read the dictionary at age six? I guess I was kinda jealous of him, too.

"What about the oldest brother?"

As Raph paused, Leo felt his heart start to pound beneath his plastron.

"Leo? I…I used to call him my best friend. I guess we were the closest growing up; we'd do everything together. But when Splinter named him leader, he forgot about us. It's like all of a sudden, we were no longer his brothers. Now we're just pupils in training. Don't do this. Don't do that. Or, one of my favorites, a real ninja wouldn't behave as you are. He was starting to sound like Master Splinter. Only all the time."

Mikey turned to Leo, to see his reaction. The blue masked turtle was listening with a face of steel, unflinching.

"He became so grownup all of a sudden, I guess he forgot that he was just a kid like us. He would train till he couldn't move, and still he would go on. When he did that, I was left out with my younger brothers, waiting I guess. Waiting to be let in; to train with my best friend." His voice was no more than a whisper and the listeners had to strain to hear him.

"I stood outside that door when I was younger for hours, waiting for him to stop acting like another father and start acting like my brother: hours of just waiting. Sometimes he would be in there all day and I would fall asleep outside the door, waiting for my turn. As the years went by I realized something," Raph said with tears in his voice. "Leonardo, wasn't going to let me in. I stopped waiting after that and I guess that's when my patience reached a low point. I was tired of waiting; of being patient. I lost it at some point, along with my best friend."

Suri reached over and let the turtle cry on her shoulder. Within minutes, her black shirt was wet, but she didn't care. For once it was nice to be able to help someone else. It was good to be able to return a favor.

"Shh." She whispered as she rubbed his shell in soothing circles. "It'll be okay. They're part of your old life; you don't need to wait to be let in anymore." She went on strongly. "The doors are open and the red carpets been laid. There's thousands of adoring fans, waiting for you inside. A big red sign is flashing you name."

She could hear the chuckle and felt his body shake.

"And for once, you don't have to worry about anyone leaving you out. Why?

Because you can't get out any more than we already are." She said with wave of her hand towards the night, trying to lighten the mood. "Can't you hear them? All the pretty girls yelling 'RAPH! RAPH! RAPH! The music is so loud you can't hear over it. So, if anyone does call from out there, we'll just tell them that you're too busy to talk. K?"

Raph started with a weak laugh that grew until he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. He finally said" Yeah! I can see them now, trying to find a way to sneak in anyway and being told by Sammy that they would have to make an appointment! And that the next one available is in two months!"

Casey was in shock that the normally red clad turtle would ever even think, let alone laugh at that thought. But at the same time, he felt a burst of anger. That girl! Raph should have come to him, not that strange girl.

Mikey was deep in thought. If Leo had let him in, would Raph be the way he is today? Probably not. But…

Shock was to weak a word to describe what Leo was feeling; betrayal and anger at not only himself, but at the Splinter. He and Raph would still be together and close if he'd just found a way to balance everything. He didn't want to disappoint Master Splinter but he didn't want to lose his brother either. They should be at home right now wrecking the place with a food fight, just like when they were young.

"So Raph," Suri said with a smirk. "Like my idea?"

Raph gave her a light shove in mock protest. "You forgot the part where they all run screaming the minute I take off my cape and top hat."

"Oh no," Suri slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles. "They do run screaming all right, but not away. Until you grin that is."

"Thank a lot." Raph gave her a look before turning back to gaze at the city. "You know what's funny?"

"What?" Suri asked as she laid her head on his muscular shoulder. Her hair split in two, covering his plastron and shell.

"They say that in New York, even the brightest star can't shine through because of all the lights we have down here." He gestured with his hand to the busy streets below. "But up here, the stars seem to be brighter than anywhere else."

"Hmm," she gazed at the starry sky. "I might have to disagree with you there. In the country is where they're the brightest."

Raph gave a deep chuckle. "Not what I meant. It means that even in what's supposed to be the darkest and most dangerous place in the US, you can still find some sort of peace and comfort. All you have to do is look." He grinned. "Or in our case, climb."

A moment of silence overtook them as they starred at the stars. To Raph, he's never found more peace in his life then he did now.

"You know Raph," Suri snuggled in closer to the turtle. "I enjoyed tonight."

"Me too Suri." She wrapped an arm around her slim shoulders. "Me too."

"Sorry to interrupt." A voice growled.

Raph spun around, reaching for his sai's, which weren't there. A masked man stood behind them, tapping a baseball bat against his gloved hands.

"Casey?" Raph gaped. "What are ya doin?" His eyes narrowed as three more figures jumped behind him. He pushed the girl behind him. "Stay behind and out of this Suri."

"What ya doing here Raph?" Casey growled. He swung the bat in Suri's direction. "And with her?"

Raph starred at his old friend, anger in his voice. "Keep Suri out of this Casey. What are you doing with them?" he motioned towards the figures.

"Trying to get you to come back." Leo pushed in front of the vigilante. "Raph, you need to come home. Stop this childish tantrum you're having."

"I got a home." Raph spat. "The minute Splinter kicked me out, I found a place where I can help people face-to-face. I got people who want to be around me and hang out with me. I got friends."

"You already had friends." Casey yelled. He swung his bat at his chest. "What do you call me?"

Raph pointed at Casey. "You stay out of this! You would've sided with them! And you-" he rounded on the eldest turtle and said in a deadly calm voice. "Leave me alone."

"What have you got here Raph?" Leo swung her arms out. "A cold warehouse to sleep in; a bunch of homeless people who probably only want you around to protect them?"

"He's got me." Suri put her arm through Raph's shaking one, his whole body quivering in anger at them finding him. "And he's got people who love him, dangerous or not."

Raph felt himself start to calm down as the girl spoke. "He's told me things that he'd probably never confess to you. He's fun to be around because of who he is, not because of what he is or what he can do."

Don spoke up. "Suri is your name, right?" When she nodded he went on, " you don't understand what it's like up here for us. It's too dangerous for us to stay so visible all of the time. There are always men out there who would love nothing more than to get their hands on us, no matter what. They'd kill a bunch of homeless people like you in an instant, all in the name of science. After all," his voice saddened. "There's only four of us and billions of you; who do you think he'd pick if it came down to it?"

Suri shrugged. "Then let them come. I think one thing people underestimate about us is that we're too stupid to get a job or anything. But you see, here it takes a lot more brains to survive. Anyone can survive with everything, but can everybody survive with nothing?" her voice hardened.

"That's not that point Suri," Leo starred at the girl through his blue mask. "Surviving being homeless and surviving being shot while you're homeless aren't the same thing at all. One is doable, the other is just dead."

"I will protect them." Raph stepped closer to Leo, anger rolling off him in waves.

"All of them?" Leo raised an eyebrow. "Raph, stop! Think about what you're doing. This is not only hurting you, but it's putting the people you're with in danger. Can't you see how selfish you're being?"

"I can see why now Raph no longer want to call you family." Suri spoke quietly. " Family looks out for each other. But the best of families don't try to manipulate each other. You haven't once asked about your brother or his feelings. How's he doing? All I've heard is what _you_ want." She looked around at them all and slowly shook her head. "I wouldn't want you for my brother either."

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but no words of wisdom came out. He was at a loss. "Fine then," he whispered to Raph. His calm words were layered with anger. "You no longer understand what it means to be a ninja."

"So, to be apart of your family, they have to pass certain rules?" Raph shook his head. "So if I'm no longer able to be a ninja, say I loose a leg in battle, I'm no longer able to be apart of your family? Wow bro," he shook his head. "What a way to ask me back."

"Come on Raph," Suri grabbed Raph's hand and started to pull. "Let's go _**home**_."

Raph started to follow her, ignoring Don's harsh words to Leo, when he heard a small, pained voice call his name. Raph turned slightly, seeing Mikey reach out towards him. His eyes were tearing.

Raph looked at him sadly for a moment, then shook his head and turned and left with the girl.

"Good going Leo." Don hissed angrily at his brother. "We're supposed to be asking him to come home, not making him angrier."

"He has to understand how selfish he's being!" Leo insisted, "He's going to loose one of those people! Can't he see that?"

"Right now I hate you, too!" Mikey suddenly screamed. "We were supposed to be bringing him home! Not keep reminding him why he left in the first place!" He shook his head angrily.

"Whoa… Mikey," Don laid a comforting arm across Mike's shaking shoulders. "You're right bro, we're sorry. Next time, we'll do better."

Mikey moved out from under the arm and away from the turtle. "Next time?" he asked in disbelief. "You really think there's going to be a next time? After how you treated him?" he shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

Leo wanted to console his youngest brother, but he doubted he was the last thing the orange masked turtle wanted. "Mikey?" he asked gently.

Mikey turned towards him, tears leaking.

"You're right, Mikey. We made a serious mess out of this." Leo stepped towards his brother, gathering him in a hug. He felt the young turtle's body heaving in sobs that he tried so hard to control. "We will get Raph back, Mikey. I promise."

"How? After what was said…" he whispered.

"The past is just something to learn from, not re-live." Leo told him gently as he rocked him. "We ruined the past, now we have to fix it."

Mikey was soothed by his brother's words. Still, he couldn't get out of his head the way Raph looked disgusted at them even talking to him.

"Oh Raph," he whispered. "Where are you?"

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**Hmm, this was kinda of a brotherly moment. It was a little more action, but the better stuff is coming up...promise...anyway, update please!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Terribly sorry; this was a day late! I wanted to re-read it once more...just to make sure. Well, here's an answer to some questions I've been receiving. This book, the plot, and the OC's are all my idea. No other writer helped me write this story. However, TheIncredibleDancingBetty did Beta Read for me so a huge thanks to her! So yeah, um, the TMNT characters do not belong to be. Happy Reading! **

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"I can't believe it! The nerve!" Raph growled as he paced the rooftops. "How dare they come and say they want me back then turn around and trash-talk me?"

"Raph, it's okay." Suri told him gently. "They're gone now. I heard an old saying that went something like this, "the past is just something to learn from, not re-live."

Raph stopped and starred. "And that's supposed to mean what exactly?"

"It means that we should learn from yesterday so that we're better prepared for tomorrow." Suri told him.

Raph sighed as he rubbed his head. "Sounds like something Leo would say." He admitted.

Suri blushed. "Sorry, but that's what I like to do-quote cool sayings."

Raph shook his head. "It's okay Suri, as long as you use them to help me, not spit it in my face when I'm doing something wrong."

Suri starred at the turtle, but she couldn't help but think back to the man, Casey. Even with the mask, he looked familiar. She didn't know whether it was the black hair or the muscular shoulders, but something about him reminded her of her parents.

"Suri, you okay?" Raph waved a hand in front of the girl's face.

Suri shook her head. "Yeah, sorry," she looked at the turtle. "What were we talking about again?"

Raph snorted. "Brothers. But it's obviously not as important as what you were thinking. Penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh nothing." She ran a hand through her hair. "I was just thinking back to that man. Casey, right? He said he was your best friend. How did that happen if I thought you were supposed to stay away from humans?"

"Well Casey," Raph sat down and put his chin on his hands. "Casey and me have been buds forever. I caught him about to go a little too far in bashing some heads in and stopped him. Later, I saved his life when some thugs decided to end the vigilante problem. We've been friends ever since."

"And you've never told him any of this?" Suri asked.

Raph shook his head. "Nah, Casey isn't the listening type. We get along the best because we can both bash heads without hesitating. If there's a problem, we don't wait for permission, we just go." He rolled his eyes. "That make any sense?"

"Yeah." Suri said brightly. She grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, let's go home."

* * *

"So who gets to tell Master Splinter?" Mikey whispered as they stood outside their sensei's room. Faint light peeking beneath the door told them he was still up and awaiting their news.

Don and Leo exchanged glanced. Donnie shook his head.

"You do it Leo." He pushed his brother forward. "After all, you're the leader."

Leo shot his brothers looks as they bother vanished into their rooms. He raised his fist to knock when a voice stopped him.

"Enter Leonardo." The voice from behind the door called.

Leo lowered his fist. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door.

The elderly rat was kneeling on his meditation mat, eyes closed. All around him, candles burned, giving light to the dim room. Leo kneeled beside him, his head bowed.

"We found him, Master." Leo said quietly.

"And?" Splinter asked with eyes still closed.

"I handled it the wrong way." Leo told him, guilt evident in his voice. "It's all my fault."

"Harsh words were spoken, hmm?" Splinter opened one eye to stare at his son. His whiskers twitched. At Leo's nod, he stood, facing his son. "Leonardo, I knew you weren't going to be able to bring him home tonight. I only expected you to try your best. Nothing more."

"So what do we do?" Leo starred into his sensei's eyes wise black eyes.

Every time Leo looked into his master's eyes, he felt as though he was starring into space itself. Black endlessness that holds mystery and wonder, questions and answers.

"Are you just now understanding what you said was wrong, or is it my words?" Splinter asked.

"I…I…I guess I knew when he didn't return with us." Leo bowed his head again, studying the mat below him.

"Leonardo, it takes longer to mended if something is broken a second time." Splinter revealed from behind him a broken cup. Sticking the two halves together, the sides fit perfectly. "This is a relationship that isn't broken, just in need of a little reminder or love." In his other hand he took out another cup that had been glued back together.

Leo narrowed his eyes in concentration. "I don't understand. The glue is the reminder?"

Splinter chuckled and took the first cup apart. Taking one side he broke it again so that the cup was now in three pieces. "You can't fix the cup, if one half is broken twice." He repeated. He handed Leo one two pieces. "Please fix it."

"I can't." he pointed to the glue and to the other piece. "I don't have anything to hold it together or the other piece to make it whole."

"Your brother is missing a piece of himself Leonardo." He held up the broken glass. "Until he finds it, there is no point in trying to fix what can not be fixed."

Leo starred at the two halves in his hands. "So I should let Raph find the part of him that is missing before I try and fix what I broke?"

"Not what _you_ broke." Splinter told him. "What we broke. It takes two to have an argument," he handed the blue masked turtle the broken piece. "It only takes one to start making it right."

Leo took the glue and fixed the cup. He wrinkled his nose. "It doesn't look like it did before."

"Those are scars Leonardo." Splinter took the cup gently from his eldest hands. "They will remind you not to drop it again." He balanced the cup on one finger. Leo sucked in a breath as it started to teeter.

"A relationship is like a fragile cup Leonardo." Splinter moved his hand, letting the cup fall towards the ground. Before it made contact, his tail curved around it, stopping it inches from the floor. "One slip and it can break. It breaks, that means you will have to find all the pieces."

"And put it back together." Leo finished. He bowed. "Thank you sensei, I understand now." He got up and headed for the door.

"Leonardo," Splinter said. Leo paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Remember the higher the cup, the harder the fall."

Leo nodded his head as he opened the door. He quickly jumped out of the way as two bodies tumbled in.

Mikey and Don both broke apart, sheepish grins on their faces.

Leo shook his head. "Guys, I thought we'd talked about this."

"We have bro." Mikey said as he got to his feet. He flipped his orange tails from his mask behind his shell so they draped over his shell. "It's just the remembering part we have trouble with."

"We?" Don gave Mike a look of daggers.

Mikey gave a nervous chuckle. "Um…yeah?"

Leo shook his head. He walked away from his other two brothers, going to his room. Shutting it behind him and locking it, he settled into a meditative state, hoping to reach Raph while he slept. The hotheaded turtle didn't know that while he slept, his mind was as open as a book in bold printed words.

* * *

Raph snuggled down into his blankets, ignoring the chilling wind that shot through the covers like a sword. Beside him, Sammy and another little kid, a small 10-year old boy, Adam, snored quietly, enjoying the warmth of the bodies and the blanket they all shared.

He wondered how his brothers were going to tell Splinter. All of them, particularly Leo, hated admitting to defeat, especially to Splinter. He smirked at the thought of Leo kneeling in front of the elderly rat, admitting that he had been overcome and lost.

He rolled onto his side, careful of the small children, and looked around the warehouse. Few on watch duty stood around the doors and windows, ever so often glancing out.

Raph doubted anyone, crook or not, would be out in this kind of weather.

Suri slept on the other side of the warehouse, curled up beside a few other teenage girls. Her chest moved slowly up and down as she breathed. A soft snore escaped her lips and that soft smile still evident. Her black hair was draped across her face, making her appear almost angel-like.

That how he fell asleep that night. Starring at the one girl who dared to give him love. And hope.

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. A quick heads up; a future chapter may seem a bit confusing but it's a cute brotherly/father moment that will have an impact for later on in the story! Please read and review (begs)**

**Reviews make me happy! WHEEEEE! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hmmm....not sure what I really hoped to accomplish with this chapter. Must be why I added another one. What I was trying to get across was how things were at home and since I haven't had much of Don in this story (runs and hides from Donatello fans who chase me with rotten tomatoes) Um...I know it might not make perfect sense but that was the fun of writing it! Happy Reading! **

**Before I forget...once again a huge thank you to TheIncredibleDancingBetty for her magnificent help! You rock!  
**

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As Mikey awoke the next morning, an unusual feeling struck him- a good feeling. With a yawn, he hopped out of bed. Slipping on his equipment, he rushed out his room. Grabbing the banister that led downstairs with both hands, his slid down it with a whoop on his plastron. When he neared the end, he flipped off it, landing perfectly on both feet.

"As horse owners would say, "somebody's feeling their oats today." Don commented to Mikey. He had emerged from his lab to see the ending of Mike's performance.

Mikey gave his older brother a grin. "I guess I'm just pumped. For some reason, I feel real good about today."

He did feel good. Something inside told him that they were going to make a huge jump on progress in bringing Raph back home. He desperately wished it was that they were bringing him home, but Leo banished that hope.

Leo had told them that Raph might not come home for awhile- something about finding a missing piece of himself- and not to worry. They were getting their brother back. No matter how long it took them.

Leo promised and when Leo made a promise, he always made good on them.

"Why is that my son?" Splinter entered the room, the familiar tap of his cane by his side.

Mikey bowed before replying. "I don't know sensei; maybe it's just a lucky feeling."

"There is no such thing as luck Michelangelo." Splinter scolded. "Whatever feeling you acknowledged, you received for a reason. Not because luck permitted it, but because fate did."

"Yes sensei." Mikey bowed again. As he rose, he spotted Leo walking towards them. His light green body glistened in a light sweat, verification from his early morning exercise.

Leo gave Mikey a not believing glare. "Why would you get this feeling and none of us would?" he asked. "What makes you so special?"

Mike's heart sank at his brother's words. He thought Leo would be really excited and pleased at the news; he seemed to be disappointed that Mikey received the news.

"Leonardo, is there a cause for the displeasure in your voice?" Splinter question with a raised eyebrow. He too, seemed to have caught the irritation in the eldest turtle's voice.

"No sensei, my apologies." Leo bowed. He turned to Mikey.

He wasn't mad at the news; he was really glad for it. Heck, if no one else was around, he'd be jumping for joy. But he'd made the mess they were in; he'd started the fight with Raph that led the turtle to leave and he felt that he was responsible for fixing it. So why shouldn't he have gotten the feeling?

Since he started it, it was up to him to fix it. He was just irritated that Mikey had gotten it.

"Sorry Mikey, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was mad or anything." Leo sincerely told his brother. "I'm doing this all the time. I'm wondering why fate has the path laid down in life for us like it is. Like, why did we become mutant turtles?" he spread his arms. "Why not mutant lizards or some other kind of mutants?"

"Leonardo," Splinter had hints of amusement in his aged voice. "You bring up questions that all ponder in their life. I find it, as you would say, funny, that there are millions of unanswered questions and they all start with the same word 'why?'"

Don, being the tech-head that he was, was pleased that he family was going this depth into discussions. However, as a scientist, it was up to him to find answers to those questions, not sit around and think.

"Sensei" Don asked. "Aren't there questions in life being discovered everyday. I mean, people believed the earth was flat until Columbus sailed it and didn't drop off its face. So isn't it wrong to say that there are millions of unanswered questions, when everyday those questions are being answered?"

"Ah Donatello," Splinter shook his head at his son. "Is it not true that, yes, questions are being answered everyday, but how many of those answers are being proven wrong? People believe that the dinosaurs were killed by the Ice Age or by a giant meteor, no?" he pricked an ear.

Don nodded his head. "Yes."

"But is it also true that scientists are now discovering that they may have become wiped out because of humans and of a flood that happened many, many years ago?"

"There's no real proof yet though," Don protested. "Those ancient drawings we have found could have been nothing more than large, extinct lizards."

"If they are nothing more than large lizards, how is that we are only finding dinosaur bones and not some other type of reptile?" Splinter asked. "Then that leads to another question of where did those large, extinct lizards go?"

Don shook his head. He was not loosing a scientific debate to his sensei.

"You see Donatello," Splinter chuckled as his son's surprised look. "There are some questions better left unanswered in life."

"Yes, but if we thought that same way thousands of years ago, then where would we be now?" Don challenged.

"Some, not all." Splinter repeated.

Even though his son believed he did this just because he was sensei and had to be right, he was wrong. He did enjoy his own little victories here and there; specially if he was against Donatello or Leonardo. Raphael and Michelangelo were easy to prove wrong. Very easy indeed.

"But how do we know which questions to ask?" Don asked. His normally sure and confident pride had a dent in it after this talk.

"If a question can be answered in one or two life times with proof, then it was meant to be." Splinter chuckled. "But if people spend many years trying to figure it out, then perhaps it was never meant to be answered or it was meant for another time."

"Man." Don rubbed a hand across his face.

Leo and Mikey were both silently placing bids on the sidelines- Leo for Splinter and Mikey for Donny.

"You owe my ten bucks." Leo whispered to Mikey with a triumphant grin.

Mikey groaned. He'd never thought he'd see the day when his brother Don out-smarted. "I call for a rematch." He whispered back. "Don's still got some tricks up his shell."

Leo watched as Don stormed towards the dojo, seething. "Yeah, I can see that Mikey. I think he used them up, though."

Mikey groaned as he ran towards his brother. "Hey Don, can I borrow ten bucks?" at his brother's glare, he backed up with his hands in the air. "Don't feel bad bro, you would've for sure stumped me."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better how exactly?" Don shot back as he entered the room.

"Uh…?" Mikey stopped and scratched his head. "Um…"

"I've made my point." Don told him, finishing the conversation. He got out his Bo, twirling it with expertise on his fingers.

Leo shook his head as he walked behind his brothers. Part of him was glad that even in Raph's absence, they could still find a reason to laugh. But the other part of him missed Raph the most at times like these.

Raph would always be the one there with a rude comment that would either ease the tension or make it worse. It tended to make it worse at times, but Leo, as much as he hated to say it, enjoyed the times Raph made trouble.

He would sometimes feel jealous of all the attention Raph grabbed from Splinter. If he got in trouble, they would spend hours at a time arguing behind a closed door and Leo was envious of that time they got to spend alone. He didn't care what they were arguing about but Raph always made it seem to take longer. Whenever he got in trouble, Splinter would simply tell him how disappointed he was and to think about his mistakes.

But when Raph got in trouble that was also one way for Splinter to notice Leo more.

As the leader he was expected to correct his brothers and at times, yes, he did make it more than it needed to be. But it grabbed Splinter's attention and that what Leo really wanted.

He hung his head as he thought those words.

It was wrong of him to think of that as a leader and as a brother, who deeply cared for his family. He had realized his intentions many years ago and he couldn't help but wonder- if he hadn't been like that, would Raph be as stubborn and as unruly as he is now?

He missed his brother like shell.

He missed those arguments, not because of the attention he got, but because he was with Raph.

It was at times like these he began to miss the stupid things he did and said.

And he would do anything to have him back.

Anything.

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**As always....REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**I've been promising some action for while and I'm happy to say it only goes uphill from here! (does big cheer and funny looking dance!)**

**Well, still don't belong to me (pouts)**

**Thanks to TheIncredibleDancingBetty!**

**Happy Reading!**

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"So what's the plan?" Suri asked Raph later that night.

She shivered, half from the cold and half from the energy running through her veins. They crouched on an old rooftop, watching a robbery take place below. She waited for the answer from the turtle. Turing her head, she gazed proudly at his new mask.

She's found an old red cloth in a dumpster and made the turtle a mask. To her, he just didn't seem complete without it. They way he took it and they way he moved now, made it seem that he wasn't complete without it either. He seemed to be happier. He seemed whole again.

He crouched beside her, enjoying the feeling of once again having a mask upon his face. He was in shock when she gave it to him, but when he saw how different it was from his original, he couldn't resist. The mask tails were a lot shorter, going only to his neck. The slits were smaller, giving him enough room to see out, but giving his normally narrowed eyes a more demeaning look.

Even though he was now no longer training, didn't mean he had to stop. He busted crimes much more often now, enjoying the sense of Leo freedom. Suri had insisted on joining him on his nightly outings, only to prove that she was more than capable of handling herself, she could kick butt good. Raph style.

"I jump on the ringleader." Raph whispered, pointing to the plump, bald man who was shouting orders to his incompetent hired help.

How comes all ringleaders had to be fat? He wondered.

"Can I take the skinny dude with the knife?" she motioned with her black gloved hand to a man who seemed to be second in command. That left two other bozos.

Raph's amber eyes narrowed as he watched the two hired hands stagger back out of the warehouse, carrying another large case filled with who knows what.

"Okay," he held up his three-fingered hand. "I've been timing and in-between each load, there's a three minute wait before they come back out. I figure if we move quickly and quietly, we can knock out those two," he said, referring to the fat and skinny man. "And be waiting for the others by the time we get out. That thing looks heavy and by the way they're handing it, it must be fragile."

"Or explosive." Suri muttered with a role of her eyes.

"Or that. We make our move on the next trip."

The two silently waited until the two men had gone back into the warehouse to pick another load before dropping silently behind the two goons.

"Hey pal," Raph tapped the fat dude on the shoulder with one finger while the other hand was doubling into a large fist. "Christmas ain't for 'nother one month so try laying off the gifts a tad."

The man snapped his head around, reaching for his gun not-so-concealed beneath his heavy winter overcoat. His eyes blazed in fear right before Raph's fist connected with his stomach. He let out a muffled "oof" and swayed on his short, stubby legs. Raph's other fist rose up and associated with his nose.

And it all happened in less than fifteen seconds.

The man beside him let out a startled cry as his boss sank to the ground. He backed up nervously, only to receive his own tap on the shoulder. A second later, he joined his friend on the ground in la-la land.

"And the jerky." Raph finished as he stood over the two unconscious men. Suri stood beside him, an equal grin on her face.

"You did good." She commented as she offered her hand to shake.

"You too." Raph shook her hand, but the fire wasn't gone. He was just getting warmed up. "Let's make short work of those other two thugs and then call the cops to come pick them up." He cracked his knuckles. "Gift wrapped. Shall we?"

Suri wriggled her eyebrows as she cracked her neck. "Lets."

Ten minutes later they watched from the same rooftop as the paramedics pulled the unconscious crooks into the back of awaiting ambulances. Two officers stood around, scratching their heads. One young man walked around, trying to find clues to the mysterious caller.

"I can't figure it out chief." He walked back to the other two officers, shrugging his shoulder. "There's nothing. No torn piece of clothing, no footprints, no blood samples, nothing."

The chief seemed to be a woman in her late thirties with wild blonde hair. She pulled on her cap, wiggling it in place. "Did you check for wiped areas?" at the man's confused look, she sighed. "You know! Area's that look like something, a hand maybe, was wiped across it to hide the evidence."

"Ah, no chief." The man stuttered, looking embarrassed.

The woman sighed, turning to the older man standing beside her. "Who trains these newbies anyway?"

The man shrugged meekly.

Suri chuckled at the way the chief woman was obviously scaring the crap out of the other men. She wasn't named sheriff for nothing.

Raph nudged her shoulders, signaling her it was time to go. With one last look at the officers, she followed the newly red masked turtle into the night.

"You two looked like you had fun tonight?" Becky commented dryly as the two figures hurried into the warm warehouse, shivering and wet.

One of their fights had brought them to the docks and into the freezing cold, almost frozen water.

"S-s-sure d-did." Suri chattered as she huddled around a fire. "It w-w-w-was f-f-fun. R-right R-R-Raph?" she held her hands as close to the fire as they would go without catching her gloves on fire.

"Right S-Suri." Raph chattered, equally freezing. Being cold-blooded didn't help things either.

Becky sighed as she covered them both in heavy blankets. She handed the two steaming cups of co-co, provided by K.P.S (Keep People off Streets) organization,

"They were by today." She commented to them. "They brought some mattresses, heavy blankets and some coffee and co-co for the smaller children. Also coats and shoes and extra clothing."

Suri sipped her warm drink, shivering in delight as it went down. Raph would have rather had coffee, but he made no protest. Warmth was warmth as a hot drink was a hot drink.

"So, did you two lovebirds have a romantic evening out?" Joey chuckled as he walked up to the two shivering people.

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Lovebirds?" he asked.

Joey flashed them a smile. It wasn't a sparkling clean one either. "Sure, what else would ya two being doing out on a night like this unless you desperately wanted some privacy?"

Suri brought one of her hands away from her mug and the warmth long enough to shake her fist at the man. "Joey, g-get your butt o-out of h-h-here. Or I'll kick it, I s-swear!" she threatened.

Joey slapped his knee, laughing. "What? A young pretty thing like you gonna kick my sorry butt. That'll be the day."

Raph stood up, hovering over the man. He eyes narrowed playfully. "If she doesn't I will. And trust me when I say it'll be a lot further."

Joey shook his head laughing, but got the hint and left to bother another circle of people.

Raph let out a relieved sigh as he sat back down. He barely had a few minutes before another person ran up to him.

"Raphie! Raphie!" Sammy squealed with delight at sight of the turtle. She clambered up onto his new. She reached up with her tiny hands and felt the new mask. "Pretty." She cooed. She reached behind his shell and began to tug at the tails.

Raph winced, as the tugs got stronger. "Hey, Sam, don't tug my head off." He kidded.

Sammy immediately stopped tugging, looking horrified at the thought of tugging his head off. Raph chuckled at her face.

"What don't want to tug my head off?" he asked.

Sammy seriously shook her head no, a determined look on her face. "No." she told him. "That mean blood and that sticky." She wrinkled her nose to prove her point.

Suri reached over and grabbed the small girl, rocking her to her chest. "How's Sammy girl today?"

Sammy thought before replying. "Mommy and daddy got tired so they take nap. I drew funny picture of them sleeping. Then daddy woke up and got mad."

"Why, cause you were drawing him?" Suri asked.

"No," she shook her head. Her curls bobbed everywhere. "Cause I tried to move him. Didn't want draw him sleeping that way."

Raph chuckled as he leaned over and whispered in Suri's ear. "Seems you got an artist on your hands."

"Seems I do." Suri told him as she gave the small girl another tight hug. "Seems I do."

Leo angrily swung his katana at the approaching Foot. It didn't matter where he was, in the dojo practicing, in a sparring match with his brothers, or fighting to protect his family-the slice of the blade through air never ceased to amaze him.

He didn't know whether it was the way the blade glistened and reflected the suns glorious rays during the days, or the way it seemed to glow with power from lightning in the sky during a storm. Or maybe it was the way the rain seemed to bounce off it, leaving it reflecting everything around it oh so much clearer.

Maybe it wasn't the appearance, but the sound. The way it seemed to swing through the air, making the deadly weapon seem like an art in its own unique way. Or was it the hum it made as it moved with ease.

To the enemies, the unfortunate ones about to meet the end of the blade, the sound brought fear and panic.

It was the cracking of a thousand guns exploding at once.

It was the snap of the whip about to meet flesh.

It was the howl of wolves surrounding their prey.

It was the thudding of many hooves, trampling everything in their trail.

It was death.

But to Leo, it wasn't any of those things. It was a joyous sound, a sound that seemed to declare his victory even as he swung it.

It was the purr of a well-tuned motorcycle.

It was the slash of enemies flesh meeting steel.

It was the cry of defeat from the defeated lips.

It was life.

It was hope.

It was triumph.

It was the katana.

"Meet your end freaks!" Hun roared as he lunged forward towards the turtle.

As if a practiced dance, Leo shifted aside with grace, his weapons falling towards the man even as he moved the first foot.

All around him, the sounds of battle raged on-the crack of a Bo against an enemy, the whistle of a blade, the jingle of chains as the snap of wood in the air.

The cry of the fallen and the howl of war all blended together. To him it was music to his ears.

To them, they were an enemy.

An enemy meant to be disposed of; killed off.

To Leo, they were a well-oiled machine.

A team of warriors.

Defenders.

Protectors.

Survivors.

He watched his family, part of it anyway, fight with the courage of a thousand men, the strength of an army, the bravery of knight.

This is what they had trained for.

This was who they were.

They were ninjas.

Before Splinter gave them their weapons, trained them or placed masks on their faces, they were fighters.

The longed for the familiar energy surge they received during battle. They longed for sweet taste of victory upon their lips.

Even the quietist of them all had been trained to be a killer. To handle a weapon with such efficiency, it left thugs with baseball bats and pocketknives in shame.

Even through all this, Leo missed the familiar yell of a certain voice. He missed the curses brought upon the men in such rage; it for sure would leave them cursed. He missed the flutter of the blood red mask as they owner lunged about with such grace behind certain strength and fury.

He missed the familiar chuckle as he brought down a fighter. He missed the bulging muscles that added force to their team. He missed the irritation when the fight was over and there was too much energy left over.

He missed all of it.

He missed Raphael.

Even as the last man fled or went down under the turtle's weapons, Leo wondered if Raph missed them. Surely he missed some things about home. As he went over to his brother's checking them for injury, another thing struck him.

He missed the way Raph would try and pursue the retreating figures. He missed, the way he would insist he was fine, despite the fact that he would have a long, deep gash on his arm or leg from a blade, which would be bleeding heavily.

As odd as it sounded, he missed the wild look his brother had in his brown, almond colored eyes when the fight was over; when he was still firmly clutching his sai's, blood dripping from the blades and adding to the pool of blood on the flooring.

He missed the way Raph would ignore his orders to retreat, if necessary, and continue on his crazy and maniac way.

He missed the final words- curse words most of the time- that Raph shouted in the wake of the retreating enemy. If it was the Foot, the threats tended to be more violent, or as Mikey called them, a bouquet of creative and colorful words.

"You okay Mikey?" Don asked as he shuffled over to them, trying not to step on the corpse littering the floor. He used his Bo as an aid, his limp evident.

Mikey rubbed his head, a bruise forming about his eye where Hun had gotten in a lucky hit in. "Yeah, you?"

Don nodded his head, although pain was etched on his features. "Yeah, how about you Leo?" he turned to the eldest turtle.

Leo shrugged, rubbing a stiff shoulder. "A few scratches but I'm good. What happened to your foot?" he pointed to the foot that was resting slightly above ground, not to put weight on it.

Don flashed his a painful grin. "I'm good, just a sprain. Aught to be good in a day or two."

Silence overtook the three as they starred around them, lost for words.

"I miss Raph." Mikey suddenly said quietly. "I miss the way he would barrel over the Foot when he was fighting and the grin on his face. As crazy as he was, I miss him."

"Me too." Don spoke up. This was the first time he had voiced his thoughts about his missing brother.

Before the battle, it wasn't that different. Raph never spent much time in the lair anyway, and Don was so caught up in his lab, his never really noticed whether Raph was gone or not. But during the battle, he too missed his wild brother.

Sure he was nuts.

Sure he was a maniac and out of control most of the time.

Sure he was a hothead.

Sure he was a jerk and a bully.

But he was also a brother and a valuable member to the team. Don just never really noticed it until now.

Leo just nodded his head quietly. "Me too guys." He spread his arms around him, at the damage and the dead bodies. "But brother or not, **we're** still family. And we still have a job to do, protecting this city." His voice got gentler as he went on. "He will come back you guys. Raph may be stubborn. He may be nuts at times but he's still part of this family. And believe it or not, he needs up just as bad as we need him."

"Really?" Mikey looked hopeful at his brother's words.

"Definitely Mikey." Leo sheathed his katanas. "Lets go home guys."

The three disappeared into the night, leaving behind evidence of a battle. However, they were unaware of the red eyes watching them as they fled the scene and the deep, chuckle that followed.

"Mine."

Raph groaned as the bright sunlight from the early morning rays hit his straight on. One second he was in comfortable darkness, sleeping soundly and the next there was a blinding white light on his face, making him wince even though he eyes were closed.

He missed the lair.

He missed his hammock and the way it swayed gently, almost rocking him to sleep.

He most of all missed waking up in darkness that he could control. In the lair, unless one of his brothers disturbed him and that he could control with a simple lock of the door, he woke up in the same darkness he fell asleep in.

Here, it was multitudes of darkness and light.

Stifling another groan not to wake the kids, he turned over, pulling the covers up higher and over his head.

He must have fallen asleep again for when he woke up, the kids were gone. He threw back the covers and jumped off the mattress with a groan.

He hurt.

Everywhere.

"Morning sleepyhead!" Suri greeted him cheerfully as she placed a steaming cup of hot chicken broth in his hands.

Raph breathed in the smell, savoring the warmth cupping his hands. Last night was cold.

"Morning." He mumbled as he sipped the broth. He hummed, eyes closed, as it went down.

Suri sat down beside him, holding her own cup. She sipped it as she studied the turtle. "So how was your night?" she asked.

Raph shrugged. "Okay. And you?"

Suri shrugged as well and she looked down at her cup, eyes troubled.

"Hey, ya okay girl?" Raph nudged her.

She nodded, still not looking up from her cup. "Yeah, just thinking about last night. It was the one of the coolest nights of my life but…" she paused. "But I had the strangest feeling that we were being watched."

"By who?"

"I'm not sure." Her face was deep in thought. "Maybe I was just imagining things, but it seemed off somehow."

Raph had a sudden tingling sensation run through his shell. It was when he got a bad feeling about something. "Hmm, well I don't know what ta tell ya." He confessed. "I'm just in the dark as ya are."

Suri regained control of herself as she straightened her shoulders. She flipped her hair of her shoulder and nodded twice. "Then I was just a silly thing I thought I saw. Nothing more than my imagination acting up."

Raph was about to nod when Becky ran up to them, her face flushed from running. "Raph," she panted.

Raph stood quickly and grabbed her shoulders. "Calm down Becky, just tell me what's going on."

"Purple Dragons." She whispered through pants. "Big fight…down by docks…Shaun's there…" she was too winded to say more but Raph got the picture.

He straightened up and ran for the doors that led to and alley and to the rooftops. He heard pounding of feet behind him and knew who it was.

"Suri!" he didn't stop running as he glanced over his shoulder at the approaching girl. "You have to stay here."

"Why?"

"Cause this is a fight more grownups. Stay here or else." He left the threat hanging as he shoved the doors open with a loud push. The doors slapped to the side, ringing as they hit the concrete walls on either side.

He bounded up the fire escape, muscles bulging as they tightened with each hold on the metal bar. His legs gave him strength as he pushed off the ledge, flipping down the side and onto the final ridge.

Using his legs, he jumped onto the roof and began to run. He didn't care what people saw below, as long as his friends were safe. He doubted anyone could see much; just a rushing blob of green, red and brown, he was running so fast.

Gathering his strength, he hurled over the first jump with ease, landing on both feet and sliding into a run a second later. His arms pumped beside him as he flew.

Shouts, screams and yells could be heard coming from behind a large warehouse, used to store crates and boxes. Peering over the side, he observed the fight.

Shaun and a few other men were battling some Dragons for some reasons. Blood spots could be seen clearly as the thugs attacked the defenseless homeless.

With a growl, he leapt down, landing between the two teams.

"Raph!" Shaun yelled, thankful beyond words at the help. His right eye was swollen shut and his arms were dotted with small bruises.

Raph wanted to turn and help his friend, but a baseball hurtling towards his face required his attention. With a quick motion, he hit the ball with his foot, sending it right back to the owner-right in the forehead.

"With interest!" Raph hollered as he punched another Dragon trying to sneak up behind him. With a quick snap, his legs performed a perfect split as they hit the two men on the left and right.

But it seemed for every man he took down, six more took his place with more energy than Raph possessed. With a growl, he lunged forward, using his training and animal instincts. Using fists, kicks, jumps and even teeth if needed, he fought off the crooks but they swarmed him like ants on a breadcrumb.

All a sudden, a powerful kick in the shell sent him hurtling towards a large box. Without enough time to protect his face, he hit straight on with a loud scream.

A piece of wood dug into his arm and splinters pierced his body everywhere. He could smell blood. His blood. He rolled out from under the crates his body protesting his movements.

He had to get up and help.

He weekly pushed himself up on his arms, struggling to get his feet out from under him. He thought he had it when a foot hit his side with a loud crack.

He bit back the scream, forcing it back down his throat when he heard the sickening sound of bones breaking.

His side swelled in fresh, new pain, as it seemed to cover his whole body in mere seconds. He clutched his side with both hands.

Shell it hurt.

Another foot connected with his leg and it seemed like a swarm hit him. Legs, arms and fists pounded his body, leaving him gasping for breath and air.

A foot flew threw the air and connected with his face and he saw darkness once again.

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**What do you think? Enough starting action? Please review and let me know!**

**Flames will be used to bake cookies! YUMMY!!!!!!!!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter was fun to write, though I had to write it five different times. Casey is a bonehead, I'm sorry to say. (runs from screaming Casey fans)**

**anyways, (ducks from rotten tomatoes) they don't belong to me, but the plot does.**

**As always, IncredibleDancingBetty is awesome!**

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"Faster guys!" Casey whooped as he hurled the rooftops with speed. Casey was as clumsy as a rhino in a china cup, but when it came to war, he was a swooping eagle. Everything was timed just right, every aim with enough force, he was a born vigilante.

And a bonehead.

Casey heard the short bursts of air behind him from Leo, Don and Mikey. April had gone down to the docks to trade something with an old antique dealer, and she had called Casey when she heard sounds of a battle.

Casey was halfway there at the mention of battle. Normally he'd call Raph to come help. But even as he hit the button on his own phone for Raph's, the sickening feeling of Raph being gone hit him like a ton of bricks.

Raph was gone.

He'd been gone for over a month now and he rarely visited the lair anymore. Sure he went with April, but his heart wasn't in it. He was used to opening the door and hearing a snide remark about how he was dressed or something and he'd reply. Now when he'd open the door, silence was the only greeting he got.

"Casey, this had better not be a joke." Leo warned as he ran beside the man.

"It's not bro, listen." Mikey (the fastest) was at the edge of the next building, peering down even as the others made the final leap.

Leo stopped at his brother's side, his eyes narrowed as he watched the scene below him. There were many injured, some lying unconscious or possibly dead, on the ground. There was blood everywhere.

"This is how we'll do it." Leo told them in a low voice. "Casey, you go first and get their attention while me and the others hit them from behind. We go in, beat them, and leave. Nothing stops us, understand?"

"Whatever." With another whoop, the vigilante jumped to the ground, a hockey stick as well as a bat in his hands. With a cry, he leapt into the fray, weapons swinging with practiced ease.

The mob bearing the dragon turned on the man with a roar.

"Now." Silently, the three turtles bounded down, landing behind the men without a sound. Weapons at ready, they began to take down the unsuspected gang.

Homeless surged around them, the sight of back up renewing their energy just enough to beat them off.

"And stay away!" A man beside Leo screamed, pumping his fist in the air. He had curly brown hair and matching brown eyes. As the last vanished, he turned to Leo.

His mouth dropped and his eyes went wide. "You're…" he stuttered.

Leo acknowledged the man with a dip of his head. "Yes."

"Raph!" the man whispered as he ran to a pile of crumpled boxes.

"Raph?" Mikey looked confused before realization hit him. "Raph!" he hurled towards the man, shoving away boxes from one side as the man worked on the other.

Casey was at the man's side in an instant, hands furiously ripping away whatever dared to stand between (or in this case above) his best friend.

Don hastily moved for a bag that lay abounded during the fight. Tearing it open, he began rummaging through for what few medical supplies he had with him.

Leo heart nearly stopped when he heard the his brother's name. Raph was here? He studied the anxious face of the man that was unburying his brother from beneath the rumble.

With a shake of his head, he stumbled forward, lending his own arms and strength to the desperate search for his brother.

_Please be alright Raph_, Leo thought as he removed a large shipping crate. _Be alright_.

He lifted the corners of another, flipping it aside. A limp green arm stuck out.

"Raph." Leo whispered desperately as he worked with twice the speed now. "He's over here!" he yelled.

Within minutes, they'd uncovered a two legs and then a plastron.

"We got to be careful guys." Don traced a finger down a faint crack on Raph's plastron. "It looks like we're dealing with a few broken bones."

Mikey nodded, his green face dripping with sweat as he moved a piece of debris that uncovered the turtle's neck. One more.

Raph's face was revealed. His eyes were shut, one swollen. Large bruises dotted his head like spots and blood covered his lips. His whole body masked his face conditions.

"Raph." Shaun knelt beside the still turtle, gently holding his hand. His brown hair flopped on his eyes, covering the tears that now spilled down his cheeks. He was aware of other three turtles hovering over him. He didn't want to move from his vigil beside him, but he knew that, whether he liked it or not, they were still Raph's real family and had a right to him.

With a small sigh escaping his lips, he moved aside on his knees, allowing the turtle family to crowd around their fallen brother.

He watched the one in a purple mask began a thorough examination from checking his pulse to setting some of the smaller breaks.

"This isn't good." He turned to the others. "He's got quiet a few broken ribs, what I think is a broken leg, and bad bruises." He knelt beside him again. "His plastron was cracked and he's got splinters that could outmatch a piece of wood."

Shaun stepped forward. "Wait," the others turned around.

If Raph could put his life out for them, he could put his out for Raph's.

"I demand to know what you think you're going to do with him. He's part of our family," he watched as the one in orange narrowed his eyes dangerously. "And as part of it, we will help with his healing."

"I don't think so." The blue one pulled out a sword and held it in front of him. "We're his real family, not you. We'll take care of him from this point forward. We thank you for sheltering him, but I believe it's time he returned where he belongs."

Joey stepped beside Shaun, his fists clenching. A low growl formed in his throat as he watched them fasten Raph to a long, piece of plywood. Shaun held out a hand to disrupt his frantic charge.

The man wearing a hockey mask and wielded a large hockey stick followed the turtles, his weapon at ready in case they tried following. Joey waited until they were out of sight before sneaking forward, keeping watch as they moved into an alley.

The one in blue removed a manhole cover and motioned the man in. The hockey masked man jumped and the one turtle in orange followed a second later. With careful ease, they lowered Raph into the hole before jumping in themselves and sealing it up.

Joey's eyes lit up.

Bingo.

* * *

"Steady guys…watch out for that rock Leo." Don went ahead, warning them of anything that could jostle the turtle Mikey and Leo carried. Casey had run ahead to tell Splinter and to get April down there.

As Casey burst through the door, Splinter shot out of the meditation room, walking stick held out before him like a weapon. His ears were laid back and his whiskers twitched. When he saw who it was, he relaxed.

"Mr. Jones, what has happened." He felt his old heart start to race. "Where are my sons?"

"Right here master." Donny poked his head in, still shouting warning. "Gentle…careful of that step Mikey. Leo, you're shifting him too much to the right…good, good…easy now."

Splinter nose got a whiff of a smell he'd desperately longed for. Raphael. With sudden speed, he was at the door watching as the two brought him in.

He still wore a mask, but not of his own, Splinter thought with a hint of pride. At least he was still ninja enough to bear the symbol. His body showed the rough days he'd faced with little food and cold nights.

He'd lost a lot of weight and his once finely tuned muscles had shrunken down in size. The next thing he'd noticed were the bruises of a recent fight on his pale green skin.

"Leonardo, contact Miss Jones. I will assist your brother in the infirmary." Splinter commanded. He turned to his eager youngest. "Michelangelo, please wait out here with Mr. Jones." He lowered his voice. "I take pleasure in my comfy chair and would not enjoy searching out another."

A.K.A- Keep Casey from destroying the lair.

Mikey nodded his head as Splinter and Don rushed Raph into the infirmary. Leo was already on the phone, talking quietly to their red headed friend.

Casey anxiously hovered outside the locked doors. Mikey was just as worried. "Come on Raph," he whispered. "Ya got to make it. You just got too."

He gasped and he rushed to the door when he heard loud, panicked voices from inside. He reached for the door then pulled back, as if the door was a snake.

He had to stay outside.

April rushed past him, hurryingly opening the large metal doors. She was too focused on getting in, she forgot to close the doors all the way. With a gentle creak, it opened enough to allow a good view for anyone outside.

Casey, Mikey and Leo all hovered outside, peeking through the small crack.

Leo watched as Don wrapped his brother's ribs tightly in white. Then, after searching his shelves, came up with a small jar filled with sticky, yellow paste of some sort.

Donnie opened the jar, sticking two fingers inside and stirring it slowly. The paste stuck to his hands and he was relieved.; it was still good. After he stirred it a few more seconds, he brought out a small goop on his fingers.

Going over to his brother, he began to smear it on his cracked plastron. The paste should cover the crack and keep it from cracking even more if he got hit again and also fill the small gap. After smearing it good, he used his palm to wipe it smooth.

Splinter was gently bandaging his son's head. He rubbed Raphael's head in calming, soothing strokes. A thin layer of perspiration covered his features. Reaching for a soft cloth, he cleaned his face.

"There my son." He whispered.

April was done setting up the IV, after sticking the needle into his wrist. "There," she wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans. "It wasn't necessary, but it can only help."

Splinter breathed in relief when they were done. Turning, he bowed at April. "Thank you for all your help, my child." He told her sincerely.

April waved him off. "I was glad I could help." Turning around, she shook at her head at the sight of three pairs of eyes starring at her. "Come on in you three. But stay quiet." She emphasized the last word as the three strode into the room.

Mikey went straight to Raph's side, tears coming to his blue eyes. Raph was supposed to come home, but like this? He felt a comforting hand being laid on his shoulder and he didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Leo.

"Come my sons." Splinter ushered them all out the door. "I believe Leonardo has some things he would like to tell his brother." At Mike's look, he added. "The things said are to be between the two of them."

Mikey groaned as he and the others were shooed out the door. Leo didn't look up as he head the door click. They were alone.

"Hey bro." Leo whispered as he starred at this brother. "I know its been awhile and everything, but…" he turned away, unable to look anymore. "I…I can't tell you how sorry I was that night you left. I went to wake you, but found you missing instead."

He let the tears fall freely now. They stained the white sheets his brother lay upon.

"I thought I was going to die then and there. How could I have been so heartless to see that you were right," he closed his eyes. "I was wrong in saying that you had to be someone you're not. I was wrong to make you try and apologize."

He let out a small, forced laugh. "Sensei taught me something while you were gone. An apology is a waste of breath if it doesn't come from the heart. An heartless apology is nothing more than a lie. And family's don't lie." He whispered fiercely as he dabbed his brother's forehead with a wet cloth.

"I was wrong in all that. And I'm sorry," he lowered his gaze to the floor. "I wish I could ask for your forgiveness but I can't take it. I will earn it back." He leaned back in his chair. "And Raph, for the record. I…I never meant to lock you out."

* * *

**Um yeah...next chapter will have the Mikey interaction in it and another cute story, similar to the bear. I have to say, I love Mikey and Raph brotherly love fics...there just so CUTE!**

**Well, you know the drill. I thrive on reviews so you want updates, you review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ummm.........I can't say how sorry I was for not updating. My main computer shut down on me and I had to use my laptop. It let me on and review for stories, just not update any. (angrily shakes laptop) anyway, I want to thank TheIncredibleDancingBetty and Raph's No. 1 Girl for helping me with this chapter. Raph's No. 1 Girl helped me with grammer, ext... and TheIncredibleDancingBetty reviewed it for anything else. You both rock!**

**Also, big thanks to all my patient readers and a bigger thanks to the reviewers. You all made make my day with every review. **

**I'll try and update reguraly now.**

**BIG THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

* * *

Mikey closed the lab door behind him as he knelt by his brother and wept..

He wept for what had happened and what shouldn't have.

He wept for the bruises his brother now bore because of them.

He wept for the countless times Raph felt alone, now and when he was younger.

He wept for the good times they had.

He wept for the days gone now.

He wept because he wanted his brother to try and understand.

He wept because he was sorry.

So sorry.

"Raph, I don't know if you can hear me." Mikey whispered as he dried his eyes with his forearm. "Splinter says you can and if you can, I just wanted you to know that we need you bro. I need you. Remember the time we were alone in the sewers…"

* * *

(FLASHBACK)

"Come on Mikey!" Raph shouted at his youngest brother as they ran through the empty sewer tunnels. The only sounds were the occasional drip and the sound of small splashes of water as the two small turtle tots ran through.

Raph was in front, holding a small toy in front of the orange-banded turtle..

"Come on Mikey," he taunted. He waved the toy just out of his reach. Even when they were young, Raph was still the biggest and by far the strongest. "Babies aren't allowed to play with the big kids."

"Give it back Raph!" Mikey cried as he tried to jump up. He hand sailed nearly three inches under the toy. He gathered all his strength and jumped, only to end up slipping as he landed.

"Oomph!" he grunted as he landed in the dirty sewer water. He tried to stand, but his foot slipped and he once again ended up the water.

"Baby." Raph narrowed his eyes. "Only babies cry."

Mikey sniffed. He didn't want to by a baby and he didn't want to cry. Why was Raph always so mean to him?

He tried once more to stand, but pain shot through his foot and he cried out as he hit the water.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Babies can't walk either." He looked at his brother, and felt no pity for him. He was such a baby. Father always treated him special just 'cause he was youngest. He cried every time things didn't go his way.

"Just stay there, baby." Raph said as he began to walk away.

"Wait Raphie!" Mikey shouted as he weakly tried to put weight on his foot. The ache hit again he fell again, this time face first.

Flailing, by the time his face came up from the water, Raph was gone.

"Raphie?" Mikey called out feebly.

Nothing.

"Raphie?" Mikey started to whimper. He was alone and he didn't know how to get back home. He had followed Raphie since they weren't  
allowed to go this far into the sewers without Splinter. And he was hurt.

With a sniffle, he started to crawl the way he knew Raphie had gone. Maybe if he went fast enough, he could catch up and Raphie could help him home or get Splinter.

He started crying at the mention of Splinter. He wanted to go home and see Leo and Donny and Splinter. He didn't want to be stuck here.

Faint voices started echoing off the tunnels and Mikey felt a glimmer of hope. It was his daddy and brothers.

"Leo! Donny! I'm over here!" he shouted, hoping they heard him.

The voices stopped and Mikey was afraid they hadn't heard him.

"Daddy?" he called out again.

Shadows reached around the corners towards him and Mikey started to call out again when something hit him. Those weren't his brothers or his daddy. Those were humans.

"I swore I heard a voice over here." a gruff male voice insisted as he and his partner rounded the corner.

His partner rolled his eyes. "Whatever Tim. Let's find the 'kid' and get out of here. It's almost supper time."

Mikey started shaking as the voices got closer. Daddy had always said they shouldn't go near humans and to run and hide.

But there was nowhere to run or hide and he couldn't walk.

Tears started rolling down his face as the humans walked around the corner. He scrambled back as one of them pointed at him.

"What is that?" Tim gaped at the small, yet large turtle before him.

The other man shrugged, but his eyes sparkled dollar signs. "I'm thinking it's our ticket to the big game."

Tim nodded as eagerly. He started forward, hands outstretched as he prepared to grab the small turtle. Just as he was inches from the shell, another green blob hit him in the stomach.

"Leave my bro alone!" Raph hissed angrily as he stood protectively in front of Mikey, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Raphie!" Mikey hadn't heard the angry hiss from his older brother or the water splashes of his running.

Tim rubbed his stomach as he starred at the other turtle. This one was larger and definitely more vicious. Wait… did it just…talk?

Tim's partner ran forward, prepared to grab the other turtle. The weight-lifter of the two, he had no doubt he could handle the small turtle, no matter how fierce it seemed.

As he reached for the shell, the turtle did some kind of kick that hit the man right in that area. With a groan, he fell to the sewer floor, clutching the tender spot.

"Oooh." He moaned as he writhed in pain.

Tim had recovered long enough to grab the smaller of the two turtles.

"Raphie!" Mikey screamed as he was lifted up.

Raph turned to help when the man behind him had a sudden recovery and grabbed the turtle. The two men stood, holding the small, kicking and screaming turtles, in their hands.

"Let's go." Tim started walking when he heard a deep, low growl that couldn't be from anything small. With a gulp he turned.

"Daddy!" Mikey squealed at the sight of his father.

Splinter stood poised to leap, his muscles bunched beneath him. His tail was curved and his whiskers twitched. His ears were pinned to his neck fur and he exposed his fangs, growling. His neck fur was raised.

"Put my sons down." He hissed.

"Whoa!" Tim hurriedly dropped Mikey and began to back up, his hands held up. "Okay I dropped him." His eyes were as big as saucers.

Raph was dropped to the ground beside his brother a second later with a growl. Splinter started advancing on the humans, growling louder as he got closer. With each step he took forward, the humans took three back.

With a final snarl, the two men took off into the sewers, pushing and shoving to be first and away from the demons.

"Daddy." Mikey sniffed as he reached his arms out to be picked up.

Splinter obliged, snuggling his son in his warm fur. Mikey grabbed tightly, the fur curling between his tiny fingers. He closed his eyes and breathed in his fathers scent. He was safe.

"My son." Splinter cooed as he gently rocked the trembling child. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Blue eyes blinked at his father. Mikey didn't want to get Raphie in trouble, but Daddy asked. And when Daddy asked you told him the truth - the whole truth - or be ready to meet his walking stick.

"Raphie stole my toy," Mikey began softly, cringing when he head his brother growl softly. A look from Splinter quickly shut him up. "He told me only babies played with it and he was going to hide it in the sewer so a 'gator would come and swallow it up!"

His voice rose and panic clutched him at the thought of losing his precious toy.

"I tried to get it back but he ran away and I followed." He started crying again. "Then I fell and hurt my foot and Raphie left. Then those two bad men came and tried to take me and…" he didn't finish, just bawled into his father's robe.

"Shh, my little one." Splinter soothed as he held him tighter. "The bad men won't return and your toy is safe at home. When we get back to the lair, I will examine your foot." He gave his smallest one more hug before turning his gaze over to the red clad turtle.

Raph looked down under his father's stern stare. He nervously kicked at the water before looking back up. "Uh…sorry?"

'I'm afraid its going to take a little more than sorry for this one, my son." Splinter told him calmly. Raph wasn't dumb; he was dead.

Splinter rarely yelled at his sons, even when he was angry. When he was mad though, he got all calm and his eyes had a chilling, icy look to them. Raph got that look more than the others.

"Mikey!" Donny yelled out as soon as they entered the lair. He rushed to his brother and father, sliding to a stop when he saw tears. "Mikey, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Mikey bit his lip with a nod. By now his small foot was swollen very painfully to the small turtle.

"Leonardo," Splinter called to his eldest. "Please fetch me an icepack."

With a nod, the blue clad turtle sped out of the room. Splinter set Michelangelo on his chair before turning to the nervous hotheaded turtle.

"Raphael," Splinter motioned his son forward with an angry flick of his tail. "I can not tell you how disappointed I am in you today. Not only were you disrespectful to your brother and his possessions, but you went out of the lair and into the part of the sewers where you are forbidden to go."

Raph stared at his feet.

"You hurt your brother; not just mentally but physically as well. There was a reason I forbade you from going there and Michelangelo," he waved his hand in the crying turtle's direction. "Is living proof of my words. You're lucky it was only a sprain and nothing more."

Leo returned with the ice, starring at his youngest brother with worried eyes. He ignored Raph completely, giving Michelangelo his undivided attention.

"And what's worse, I almost lost both of you to humans." Splinter pinned his ears at the word. "If you had obeyed me, then you never would have gone there and Michelangelo would never have hurt his ankle."

"But if I hadn't been there, they would've taken him." Raph protested. "I protected him!"

"If you hadn't been there at all, there would have been no need for you to protect him." Splinter went on smoothly. He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Can you not see how your one wrong action led to another?"

"I see it." Raph muttered, kicking a pebble with his foot.

"Good." Splinter nodded. "You are grounded for one week. I forbid you from leaving the lair at all and, except for meals and training, you are to stay in your room."

Raph opened his mouth to protest, but a stick slapped the floor and his arm, making everyone jump. "Yes master." He grumbled as he held his now sore limb.

"Very well." Splinter stepped back. "You are free to leave."

Raph gave a small growl and stormed past Mikey and the others. Stomping up the stairs, he opened and slammed his room shut with a loud snap.

Mikey jumped a second time.

"Now, let us see to that foot." Splinter knelt beside Michelangelo, gently grasping his injured foot. "It is just a sprain, my son." Splinter packed on more ice.

Mikey barely heard his sensei. All he could think about were Raph's last words.

_"But if I hadn't been there, they would've taken him." Raph protested. "I protected him!"_

Raph had protected him. He could've watched or been too scared to get involved. If Raph hadn't shown up when he did, they would've taken him.

"Father?" Mikey asked as he father sat down beside him. "Why can't we go into those sewers?"

Splinter sighed. "My son, danger lurks beneath, never above."

Mikey just nodded his head, not understanding what it meant. He yawned, feeling his eyelids grow heavy on him. He blinked rapidly before he felt a gentle hand on his shell, rubbing it in soothing circles.

"Rest now my son." Splinter said softly as his youngest eyes closed. He grabbed a blanket that had been draped over his chair and rested it on his son's still form.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Mikey snuck/hopped to Raph's room. He never went to bed this early, even though it was past eleven.

"Raph?" Mikey gently rapped his fist against the wood.

"What do ya want?" A rough Brooklyn accent spat from the other side. Whenever Raph was mad or frustrated, his Brooklyn accent kicked in high gear, making it more obvious than usual.

Mikey hesitated. "Thank you."

Mikey heard the furious beating of a punching bag from the other side stop suddenly. He heard footsteps coming towards the door and the soft click of the door being unlocked. A second later a pair of amber eyes surrounded by red greeted him.

"Whatca mean by dat?" Raph crossed his arms.

Mikey stepped forward, wanting to give his brother a hug, but foot forgotten, a serious pain flashed in his foot. He let out a muffled yelp and started to fall when he felt hands wrap around him from behind, supporting him.

"I gotcha Mike." Raph's gruff voice whispered in his ear. "I gotcha."

Mikey wanted to cry again, but Raph was already helping him. He'd laugh.

"It's 'K Mikey, ya can cry."

Mikey let loose, bawling silently on his brother's shoulder - crying tears of thanks.

That's how Splinter found the two that morning - curled up in Raph's bed, arms around each other. The tears from the night before stained his cheeks, but he was happy. Raph's face was still gruff, but signs of a smile traced his face.

* * *

"See Raph?" Mikey whispered. "We still need ya bro. Even though you were in trouble, you still found a way to make me feel better. If you hadn't come along when you did, I might not be here." He waited, hoping for some movement from the red clad turtle.

Nothing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's the next chapter...I hope it's long enough for you. Once again, thanks to my beta readers: TheIncredibleDancingBettey and Raph's No. 1 Girl.**

**Enjoy.**

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* * *

The next two days at the lair were filled with silence. Leo could hardly be dragged away from Raph's side. He slept there, ate there, and meditated there.

At any movement, he would jump to his feet and hover anxiously over him, hoping, praying for any sign that he would wake up, even for the slightest of moments. And yet, the hotheaded turtle didn't wake up.

Mikey found himself locked in his room most of the time. Sometimes, he would be meditating, trying to reach Raph that way. He could remember being locked in meditation for hours one time, refusing to quit until he saw some evidence of his brother's spirit. It took both Leo and Master Splinter to awaken him, and he wasn't happy.

He desperately tried to convince himself that if he'd been at it for a few more hours, or if they had let him be, he would've found Raph. But deep down, no matter how hard he tried, he knew it was a lie.

He wasn't even close to finding Raph; there'd been no hint, no _nothing_, of him. Just empty darkness the youngest turtle found himself wandering in, calling his lost brother's name.

Don had shut himself in his lab, not eating or sleeping for days at a time. He would be in his books constantly, trying to look up all he could on helping wounded people spiritually.

Most of them said to see a counselor or seek professional help.

_Lots of help you are_, Donny muttered to himself as he threw the book back onto his table. He rubbed his temples, suddenly aware of how tired he was.

_Maybe just a cup of coffee and a few more hours, then I'll go to bed,_ he though drowsily to himself as he stumbled to his door.

Unlocking it, he made his way downstairs and to his coffee pot. Pouring himself a steaming cup, he slumped at the table, trying hard not to collapse then and there.

"Hey bro."

A sullen voice greeted Don. Don barely lifted his eyes to see who it was before slumping back down. "Hey Leo."

Leo sat down opposite side of Don. He clutched a small cup of tea, starring at the liquid as if it held the answers.

"Nothing?" Don asked, trying to break the silence.

Leo shook his head. "I had to get out of there for a bit; I need to refresh my mind." He admitted.

Don sighed as he put his large cup on the table. "Any change?"

"Nothing." Leo's shoulders slumped in defeat. The hard days at taken their toll on him. "Sometimes he'll move his head slightly or twitch his fingers, but his eyes never open." He looked up, studying the genius turtle. "He will wake up, won't he?"

Don rubbed his head. "I don't know." He admitted softly. "All the books I read say he should but…" he didn't get a chance to go on.

A loud blaring noise echoed through the air, red lights flashing in each room. The alarm.

Don jumped from his seat, running to his computer. Sliding into his roll-around chair, he quickly began typing, his thick fingers flying over the keyboard.

A second later a screen popped up. There they saw a figure, slowly making her way through the tunnels. As the figure came closer to the camera, the unmistaken body of a female began to form. Black hair draped shoulders as the girl looked around.

Leo was surprised. She looked familiar. "Hey!" he snapped his fingers. "Isn't that the girl who was with Raph that night on the roof. Sally or something?"

Donny nodded. "Suri," he corrected. "And it looks like she came to search for Raph."

At first, Leo felt a burning anger rush through him. _How dare she come looking for Raph when they made it clear that Raph was no longer part of them?_ He was tempted to go down there and scare her off, but reason dealt with that urge.

"Leo, what do you think?" Donny glanced over his shoulder at his brother. Leo's face was expressionless as feelings ran through him.

Leo's eyes turned cold. "I say we run her out. But another part of me is saying she could be one thing that could save Raph."

Don considered the options. If they showed her the lair and Raph was still yet to wake up, then she was in danger. But if she could somehow bring Raph back to life…

"Get Mikey." Don told Leo. "I think he'd know best. After all, he's the best judge of character out of all of us."

Leo nodded and disappeared to get the youngest. A minute later, they both reappeared in Don's lab.

Mikey took one look at the girl. "Get her." He told them. "I have a hunch."

Donny looked to Leo who nodded his agreement. Donny turned back around, opening one of the entrances to the lair in front of the girl.

Suri jumped back at the sudden opening of the wall. She peered inside, her face masking her relief as she stepped in. Don closed the door behind her and went to meet the teenager.

Suri walked into the lair, half in shock and half in relief. She'd found the place but it wasn't at all like she'd expected. She didn't expect a well-furnished area with a working TV, a kitchen stocked with food and heat and electricity. She didn't know what she was going to find, but it wasn't this.

"Hello Suri." Don stepped behind the girl, smirking as she jumped before facing him.

Suri recovered long enough to remember the turtle's name. "Hello Don." She replied, the same smirk on her pretty features when Don looked at her in surprise. She stood her ground as the leader, Leonardo, faced her. He glared at her behind his mask, his chocolate brown eyes seizing her up in one glance.

"What are you doing down here?" he growled.

"What do ya think?" Suri crossed her arms. "Ya can stop the tough guy act. It ain't workin'."

Mikey, whom she recognized because of the orange mask, stepped in front of Leo. She remembered Raph saying that he'd been jealous of Mike's baby blue eyes and she had to admit that they were cute. But instead of the fun-loving turtle like he'd described, a serious pair of eyes starred at her.

"Are you Suri?" he asked. At her nod, he motioned her into another room.

Suri followed him. "Where's Raph?" she asked.

Mikey didn't answer, just opened a door and pointed in. Suri stepped beside him and peered in.

A large figure lay still in the dimly lit room, a figure Suri instantly recognized as the same turtle that she'd grown to love over the past month. The same turtle that'd hoped rooftops like a horse jumps fences, with so much effortlessness and grace; the same turtle that she'd fought with side by side. The same turtle that showed so much strength and yet, was so gentle she'd never imagine him hurting a fly.

The same turtle was lying as still as death, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. Bandages covered most of his body and he looked as weak as a baby. His muscles mass and shrunk considerably, leaving him looking small and nimble like the others, not muscular and well built.

"Raph." She covered her mouth to hide her shock. She stumbled to his side, easing back into the chair left by the side of the bed. She reached over and grasped his hand. "Oh Raph."

Shaun had told her that he'd looked bad, but she didn't picture him like this. Not like this. When he'd failed to return, she drug the information out of Joey and set out to hunt the red clad turtle down.

She wandered the sewers for hours, searching for any whereabouts to the turtle's home. She swore to herself that she'd continue to walk those sewers until she found him. Now that she did, it made her want to run, to get away from the hurt, but she couldn't leave his side.

"Bad huh?" a pain-filled voice spoke.

She looked up to see Leo, his eyes on his baby brother's face.

"Has he woken up?" she asked as she returned to stare at Raphael.

"No." Leo sat on the opposite side, grabbing his brother's hand in his own. Oh how he wished he would wake up. "We hoped maybe hearing a voice he's grown so used to over this month might jog him out of wherever he's in."

Suri didn't have to say anything. She knew what he was hoping. He was hopeful she might be the hope, the power to wake him. She prayed she would be. How could she handle it if he didn't?

She barely managed a nod before resting her hand on the turtle's pale green face. "I'll do my best." She whispered.

Leo gave her a short, brief nod before leaving them in peace.

"Oh Raph," Suri sighed as she starred at his face. He looked so beaten, so broken; she vaguely wondered how anything so busted could be fixed.

"It's Raph." She muttered to herself, determined. He would recover, he just had too. He was Raphael after all and nothing could keep the turtle down for long.

"Please get better," leaning over him; she planted a feathery kiss on his nose ridge. "Please."

She didn't know how long she was there in that room with him. Time wasn't important; she focused every ounce of her strength and love towards Raphael, trying to bring him back.

She didn't pay any heed to the other turtles and their father, Splinter, going in and out of the room. The one in purple, Don, checked him daily, going over every inch of him and making notes on his computer.

She never admitted to being scared; growing up on the street made any normal fear, like of the dark, seem childish. Fear didn't allow you to live for very long. Only the strongest survived the streets and the dangers it brought.

Fear was something Suri tended to keep out of her vocabulary, but the one in blue, Leo, scared her.

She wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the swords strapped to his shell or the way his eyes narrowed dangerously every time she was around. Or it might be the muscles and the way he trained vigorously every day.

She'll never forget the night when she was up to get a glass of water; she spotted him training in the dojo. Deciding to watch, she was amazed at the ease in which he moved or the way his swords swung through the air with trained hands. But when he aimed his swords at a practice dummy, he narrowed his eyes, the same way he did when she was around, and neatly sliced the head off in one swing.

The head rolled on the floor, landing at the feet of Suri. Leo didn't seem to notice, but kept training. She ran out of the room, water forgotten, and straight back to Raph's side. From that moment on, she only left during the daytime and when others were around.

Mikey had told her she'd been there a week, but Suri didn't care. She refused to leave unless Raph left with her.

"Don?" she asked the turtle one day on one of his daily check ups.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. She'd never spoken to him before. "Yeah?"

She motioned to Raph. "When will he wake up?"

Don sighed and rubbed his forehead. Leo and Mikey, even Splinter, one of them always asked him that everyday. He didn't know.

"I'm not sure." Don went back to his computer, eyes never leaving the screen. "According to my studies, he should've woken up by now but things like these take time." He paused. "I'm an engineer, not a doctor. I can only do so much, the rest is up to him."

"So you've given up on him?" Suri hissed, standing up, her fists clenched.

Don raised his eyes from the screen. "Given up? Never." He turned to face her, rubbing a hand over his head. "Look, it may seem like we don't care about him but that's the farthest from the truth. I love my brother, as do we all. But…" he lowered his voice. "Raph, you have to understand, is not the easiest person to live with. He has a temper, that, let's just say needs more control. He brash and rude, but we all love him dearly none the less."

"So?" Suri growled.

"I would never give up on him." Don insisted angrily. "None of us will, no matter what he does or how he acts. As long as he's still here breathing, there's hope. I'm not a miracle worker and being the closet thing to a doctor we have, I can only do so much to help him. You have to understand that."

"I understand." Suri sat back down, resuming her vigil. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

She was silent a few more minutes. "What's with Leo?" she asked suddenly.

Don faced her again. "What's that mean?"

"You know." Suri rolled her eyes. "Is he always Mr. Sunshine?"

"Leo…" Don wasn't sure how to answer her. "Leo has always been like that. But he's like that for a reason. Why do you ask?"

She explained that night to him and how he always glares at her. Don shook his head. "When Leo was named leader of this group, he's taken it upon himself to protect us, not matter what. When one of us gets hurt, he thinks it's his fault cause he wasn't good enough. So he trains harder, thinking it'll help. Before you know it, he's always in there. I guess it's kinda like his sanctuary."

"But accidents happen."

"I know that and so does he." Don chuckled. "Leo was nicknamed by all of us 'Mother Hen' just because of how he is." He lowered his voice again. "When Leo would lock himself in the room, it wasn't because he was trying to ignore Raph or any of us or be better and perfect. He was trying to do the best he could and protect us the only way he could and knew how. But doing that, he knew he would have to sacrifice a few things."

"But by doing that, did it give him the right to ignore Raph like he did?" Suri demanded. "Couldn't he have found time for both training and his brother?"

Don was quiet. He'd never really thought about it that. He just saw Leo trying to do what was best for his family. "I guess he could've." Don admitted.

Suri nodded her head. She reached down to touch Raph's hand again when she saw something she'd dreamed about for days.

Raph's eyelids started to flutter open.

"Raph!" Suri whispered excitedly.

The turtle was waking up.

**

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**

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE CLIFF HANGERS? *DODGES SNIPER FIRE AND ROTTEN VEGGIES*

HMMMMM..........MAYBE NOT.

OH WELL.

REVIEW PLEASE!!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone! For some reason, I was in the mood to update. Weird huh? Well I went over this chapter a few times, checking for grammer mistakes, ext...and if it's not perfect, sorry. My new beta reader Raph's No. 1 Girl and TheIncredibleDancingBetty have all thrown in time and patience with me to make this one possible. Big thankies!**

* * *

"Raph?!" Don ran to her side, squeezing her shoulders. He shook his head before running to the door. "GUYS! He's waking up, come on!" he shouted.

Several footsteps could be heard running to the door and Mikey was the first in, followed by Leo and Splinter. They all hovered anxiously over Suri, watched in amazed silence as Raph slowly opened his eyes.

He blinked, trying to regain his focus. Upon seeing he family member's face, he let a soft, almost silent groan, escape his lips and closed his eyes again.

None of them took notice. He woke up!

"Let's let him sleep guys." Don cautioned as he shooed them all out of the room, except Suri. "I'll be sure to tell you the second he wakes up again."

It wasn't until till later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, did Raph wake up again. He let out a small moan before turning his head. Don was slumped at the computer desk, snoring loudly, his head resting on the keyboard.

He turned the other way and a small grin played on his face. Suri was watching him with wide eyes and a large smile on her face.

"Hey Raph." She whispered as she squeezed his hand.

Raph squeezed back. "Hey Suri."

They sat there for a while, just happy and satisfied to be near each other. It was Raph who broke the first silence.

"How long?" he rasped.

"A week." Suri told him.

"You've been here that long?" Raph asked in surprise. "With them?" he jerked his head in Don's direction.

"Anything for you." Suri teased quietly as she batted her eyelashes. "Ready to go home?"

Raph yawned before nodding his head. "I won't be able to sleep until I'm back in the warehouse with everyone else. And if we leave now, we'll be able to get away easier with everyone asleep."

Suri nodded as she offered her arm to help the turtle sit up. Raph clutched her arm tightly as he used what was left of him muscles to help hoist himself into a sitting position. Suri helped him every step over the way.

With shaky legs, he lowered himself off the table and onto the floor. With the girl's help, somehow, they made it back to the warehouse.

Joey had night watch duty, and his eyes narrowed as he saw two figures, one large and one small, gradually make their ways towards him. Slowly their form began to take place and Joey's eyes went wide.

"Raph?' he gaped as he rushed forward to help. He draped one of the turtle's arms of his shoulders, helping guide the two back to the warehouse. "Are you okay buddy?"

"Yeah Joey, just tired." Raph managed to give his friend a weak grin. "How's it been over here?"

Joey chuckled. "Well Sammy's been asking bout ya 24/7 and Becky seemed pretty shaken up bout that whole thing. Shaun's doing good though; Betty totally digs the bruises. Ya know chicks dig the scars."

Raph groaned as he put too much weight on his right leg. "Well can't say much bout mine." He gave a weak laugh. "It's good to be back though."

Joey gave his friend a gentle sided hug. "And it's good to have ya back."

As soon as they stepped through the door they heard a squeak and Suri's laugh.

"Wait for it." She murmured. "Wait for it."

A second later a small blob came running up, curls bouncing everywhere, blue dress flapping and tiny legs moving as fast as they could. Raph quickly knelt down on one knee to greet the small girl.

"Raphie!" Sammy squealed as she threw her arms around Raph's neck. She squeezed him tightly as though her life depended on it. "You're back. I missed you." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek to prove her point.

Raph smiled as he hugged the small girl. "I missed you too Sammy." He gently pried her off as her hugs somehow managed to get tighter. "Careful though, I still kinda sore."

"Sore?" Sammy giggled. "You look funny." She pointed out the multiple bandages that covered the turtle.

"Sammy, why don't you go get Becky?" Joey urged the girl.

Sammy brightened instantly at the idea. As she bounded away, Raph shook his head in amusement.

_It's good to be back. _

Don let a small moan as he lifted his head. "Ouch," he rubbed his sore neck and then his face where the keyboard dug in. Then he remembered. "Hey Suri -" he turned around, falling out of his chair.

"Raph!" Don screamed as he rushed to the bed. There was no sign of the red clad turtle, or of the girl, Suri. The blankets were wrinkled, proof that someone had been there not to long ago. Bandages and splints that had helped immobilize Raph had been carelessly tossed aside the IV drip strung across the bed.

"What's wrong Don?" Leo rushed into the room. He stumbled to a halt and starred at the reason for Don's yell. "Raph?"

Mikey pushed behind his brother, his fear that Raph had died during the night. What he did see however, was an empty bed. He staggered forward, shock written on his face. "Raph." He whispered as he gently touched the bed sheets that had wrapped his brother not a few hours ago.

Leo was in shock, and guilt. He was the one who let that girl in. If she hadn't been here, Raph would've stayed. With the condition he was in, it would have been impossible to leave without help, let alone get up.

His normally trained ears failed to hear the soft patter of Master Splinter. As soon as the elderly rat saw the empty bed, instead of going into shock of tears, he chuckled and shook his head. Leo turned to stare at him in disbelief.

"Sensei?"

Splinter's shoulder's shook as he laughed. Regaining control of himself, he answered the question written on their faces. "My sons don't be alarmed at this old foolish rat. I am not happy at his departure. However, I do find it amusing that Raphael had managed once again to sneak out of the lair, the second time injured and we failed to hear him." He turned to Leo. "What does that say about his ninja training?" His whiskers twitched in amusement. "Or, shall I say, failed to tell me about yours?"

Leo felt his cheeks turning beat red and Splinter's eyes lit up like fireworks.

"I made a funny." He laughed loudly, his laugh rich and full.

Mikey rolled his eyes at Don. "Only sensei could find something even remotely funny about this." He whispered to the purple clad turtle, who nodded his agreement.

"Sensei?" Don asked after the rat had managed to calm down and breath normal without breaking into hysterics. "All calm now, what are we going to do about Raph? He's in bad shape and staying out in the cold and with little food isn't doing him any good."

"I am aware of that my son." Splinter replied, the wise tone back in his voice. "However, have you not said that the best place for one to heal is in a place where he is at ease? If Raphael is not at ease here, can we expect him to heal correctly?"

"No sensei."

"Tell me Donatello, is there any point in putting a cast on a broken leg that has not been set?"

Don shook his head. "No cause the leg is still broken, regardless of what you do. It can't heal properly unless it's been set, or fixed."

Splinter's ear flicked back and forth in amusement. He was waiting for his son to get his metaphor. "Tell me, has Raphael found what he is missing?"

"Obviously not." Mikey growled as he stood next to Leo.

"If Raphael is not at peace, then why bring him back where he can not heal? If a leg is broken, why cast it if it has not been set?" Splinter raised an eyebrow at his sons. "Raphael is at peace where he is right now. There his physical wounds may not heal correctly, but his mental wounds shall."

"But sensei - " Don started to protest. Splinter held up one furry hand to silence him.

"Physical wounds can be healed when he returns. You have led me to believe that the wounds are not fatal or permanent in any way, am I correct?" at his nod, he went on. "Then those will be dealt with when the time is right. For now, we must wait."

Leo opened his mouth to protest, but no words of object came out. He had no idea how his sensei did it, but the strange way he compared things always seemed to make sense. Maybe not at first, but in the end, he would look back and be amazed how wise those words were and how they affected his choices.

If not for Splinter, Leo would have rushed out and dragged his baby brother home, somehow forcing him to stay. But Master Splinter used those wise words of his and made Leo think twice about doing it.

If Raph needed healing, then why didn't he come home?

"Master?"

Splinter stopped; tail flicking at his eldest son. "Yes Leonardo?"

"How can we heal something if we don't go straight to the heart of the poison?" Leo asked. "Is it possible to heal something and not deal with it directly?"

"My son, when you set a leg, do you just grab it and twist, hoping it will slide back?"

Leo winced at the painful thought. "No."

"There is always going to obstacles to dealing with the problem." Splinter told him. "There are things that must be done beforehand to get to the trouble. Sometimes trying to rush ahead and not let time unfold, you can do more damage; pouring salt in the open wound."

"So are you saying we just have to wait?" Mikey asked.

"No my son, you must have a part in the fixing. You may have all the materials, but if you have no one to do the mending…"

"What do we do when we have all the pieces then?" Mikey asked.

"Do you?" Splinter questioned. He glanced around. "I do not see Raphael."

Mikey shook his head. "No, I mean when Raph is home - "

Splinter held up a hand. "Let time be on your side. Deal with the problems as they arise; do not waste your time on solving something that happen and focus on what is happening. Do not dwell on fixing tomorrow's problems; let the problems of tomorrow come when they come. Fix the troubles for today."

"What?"

"Don't worry about what will happen tomorrow." Don explained. "Worry about today."

"Oh."

Splinter nodded his head, satisfied that his students were understanding his words.

The second Splinter departed from the room, Mikey slumped on the examination table, holding his head in his hands and groaning.

"You okay Mike?" Leo asked worriedly as he went to his youngest brother's side.

Mikey moaned, shaking his head. "Splinter and his teaching's make my head hurt."

Leo stood back and chuckled silently to himself as Don set upon himself at explaining the teachings to Mikey in words that even Leo had trouble understanding.

Mikey groaned and shut his eyes. "You're not helping Don." He protested.

Don frowned as he turned to Leo. "Am I not making sagacity? It's all quite unadorned really."

"What? English Donny, I'm begging you." Mikey pleaded from the table, eyes still shut.

Don sighed as he placed his hands on his hips. "I asked if I wasn't making sense. It's all simple, really."

Leo slapped Don on the shell. "This is coming from the turtle who read the dictionary at age six."

"I was bored!" Donny objected.

"So were we," Leo smirked. "Donny, try and talk to us in smaller words. We're not as advanced in the English language as you are."

Don threw his hands in the air as he stalked out of the room. "Here's a small words then – BYE!"

Leo shook his head as Mikey jumped out of bed, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Leo!" he shouted as he started to a bizarre jig; a cross between the Chicken Dance and the Tango. At least, that's what Leo assumed he was doing.

Leo backed out of his brother's reach before he could pull him in. "What now?"

Mikey shouted triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air. "I understood Donnie!"

"Oh boy."


	14. Chapter 14

**Next Chapter is eagrly awaiting your reviews!**

**Still don't belong to me.**

**Thanks to raph's no. 1 girl for beta reading!**

* * *

Casey swore under his breath as soon as he had hung up from talking with Leo. It wasn't that he didn't respect Splinter (he did in every way), it's just that he didn't agree with the way he handled things. Splinter tended to be calmer and let fate (or something) deal with life.

Casey tended to take things into his own hands, or let his hockey-stick deal with it. If there was one thing he hated more than when other guys flirted with his April, it was waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Casey hated waiting. He hated it with a passion.

With a yell, he slammed his fist into the coffee table. A large crack formed at the point of contact.

April poked her head in, her green eyes wide with concern. "Are you alright Casey?" she asked as she stepped fully into the room.

Casey reached out, needing to throw something. The thing closet to him was a porcelain vase. Right as his fingers reached towards it, a blur of a hand snatched it from him.

April hugged it protectively to her chest. "Not this one." She shook her head as she handed the enraged man a pillow. "Beat the crap out of this if you must."

Casey flashed April a grin. "Thanks babe. AHHH!" he screamed as he threw the pillow to the floor and started jumping on it, screaming like a child throwing a tantrum in a store for not getting the toy he wanted.

April just stood by, amused as she watched her boyfriend throw a fit. Casey was a man of action, if he couldn't take his anger out on the problem; he tended to take it out on the nearest thing he could grasp. It tended to be a vase or something breakable, much to April's objection.

She found that by having something cheap and unbreakable, a pillow preferably, at hand, then fewer things were broken and the less April had to throw him out of the house.

April chuckled to herself as she remembered throwing Casey out of the house on Christmas for breaking a vase. He had gotten so excited about a present, a new baseball bat, he'd waved it around in the air and started giving it a few test swings. It hit a home run all right – right on a very pricey vase. He spent the next few hours alone outside, pondering his actions.

"AHHH!" Casey gave one last scream before he stopped as abruptly as he started. Smoothing his hair with one hand, he reached down and grabbed the pillow. Giving it back to April, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks hon."

April took it with a role of her eyes. "Mind telling me what the problem is now?"

Casey gave a quick grunt of annoyance. "Raph ran away…again."

April giggled as she kissed her boyfriend. "Kinda like you, hmm?" she snuggled against him. Like Splinter, she understood the big picture. It was no surprise to her that he had run away again, injured or not. "I recall a certain man in a hospital claiming he couldn't stay because a fat nurse was out to get him. As I remember, you somehow snuck past the front desk and out of the hospital and made it back home.

Casey chuckled when he remembered April's face when she had woken up to find herself in Casey's arms. It was half terrified, half amused once she'd realized who it was.

"Ya looked beautiful that night." Casey murmured in her ear. He tried to kiss her again.

April ducked out of his arms, hands on hips. "You looked like crap." She started.

"Well nobody would look that good if they just got socked with a bat." Casey complained.

April just shook her head. "So, about Raph…"

Casey's eyes narrowed. "When I find that Suri girl I swear I'm gonna -"

"Not finish that thought Casey Jones." April snapped as she cut in. "Suri is just trying to be a friend to Raph, that's all. She is not to blame for this mess."

"But Raph told her things that he'd kept bottled up for so long." Casey shut his eyes, trying to rid himself of that night. He'd been more hurt by it than even he realized.

April put her hand on his arm. "Shh," she whispered. "I know Raph is your best friend and friends are supposed to tell each other things. But with boys, it's a little different." At his look, she grinned. "Hey, I know boys too. Anyway, with you boys, admitting things like that is seen as a sign of weakness and we all know how Raph is anything but weak. He tries to be strong for his brothers; Casey, to Raph, admitting he was weak, even the slightest, was like admitting that our President was a serial killer. It just doesn't happen."

"That'd be weird."

"I know. Raph just wants to be strong; we all know how he is. What he thinks and where he hurts doesn't matter. He'd kept so many things bottled up for so long…" April lowered her voice. "I'd say Suri saved him, if nothing else. Raph found someone to talk to, someone who would listen to him and not judge him from past experiences. Suri was what he needed, Casey."

Casey was listening. He understood what she said. But that didn't make the hurt go away.

He brushed her off. "Yeah, yeah…I'm…I'm going out." He grabbed his heavy winter coat and put it on. He started to reach for his bag of hockey sticks and baseball bats but a stare from April made him leave it there.

Stomping outside, he breathed in the fresh, (or at least, as fresh as New York air could get) and started down the sidewalk. Fresh snow covered the sidewalk and he kinda felt bad for having to ruin it by walking through it. One of the things he enjoyed most about winter was looking out onto the fresh snow, with no tire tracks, slush or footprints ruining it. It looked so perfect.

A sudden burst of cold air shot in his direction. The vigilante wrapped his dark coat tighter around him to ward off the chilling breeze.

_I wonder how Raph is doing in this weather, being cold blooded an' all,_ Casey thought as he trudged along. He had no idea where he was going. _Just wherever my feet take me_, he told himself, with no obvious destination in mind.

Lost in thought, he unaware of the direction he was heading. As he started to walk past an old warehouse, he took notice of its broken windows and worn down appearance. _Nobody's been here in ages_, he thought. Even as he thought this, his eyes, viewing the scene before him, noticed multiple faint footprints in the snow leading up to a hole where a door had been.

"What the…?" Casey stopped and starred at the tracks. "That's weird. This place has been abandoned for years…no kids will come round here; they think it's haunted." Curious, he started forward.

When he reached the door, he peered inside.

The first thing he heard was people coughing and quiet chatter. Then he saw fires made in old barrels and people huddled around them. A few faces snapped up to stare at Casey, as he looked in. Murmuring spread through the place like a fire and people stared at the man.

Casey saw a familiar man walk towards him, though he couldn't place him. He had shaggy brown hair and weary brown eyes.

"Hello stranger," the brown-haired man greeted Casey. His eyes enviously took in the large, wool coat and the gloves and heavy boots. "I can see you're not homeless," he motioned to the gear. "What can I do for ya?"

Casey was about to open his mouth to reply when a deep voice, tinted with a Brooklyn accent, spoke up from the shadows.

"I'll deal with him, Shaun."

"Raph?" Casey gaped as his friend stepped forward, supported by Suri. He was leaning heavily on the girl, old bandages still covering his wounds, blood obvious on the used-to-be white wrappings. His eyes were sunken in and he was shivering slightly. A dirty, thin sheet covered his now small shoulders.

"Whatcha doing here, Case?"

Casey heard strain behind his raspy tone. He stepped forward, not sure what to make of this. "I…I…" he shook his head. "Jeez Raph."

"What?" Raph raised an eyebrow as he shrugged off Suri. He sat on a wooden crate, motioning for Casey to do the same. Casey sunk down, still shaking his head in disbelief.

When Casey looked up, he noticed Raph was shivering a little more than slightly. His whole body was jerking back and forth in small, quick motions and the red clad turtle wrapped the sheet firm around himself.

Casey cursed under his breath as he started to shrug off his coat. He started to wrap it around his friend's shoulders. "Here man, take it. I got more."

Raph shook his head. "No Case, Sammy-girl needs it more than I do." He waved to a small girl and she timidly stepped forward.

Casey cursed under his breath when he saw the small child. She could be no more than six, with wide innocent eyes and wild curls. She walked straight to Raph and the turtle picked her up, rocking her small shivering body against his plastron. He wrapped the large coat around her tightly and she sighed as new warmth seeped into her frozen body.

Raph set her down and she ran off, giving the man a small smile, to share with the other smaller kids.

"How old is she?" Casey choked out when she left.

"Five." Raph looked at his friend. "I'll ask again – what are you doing here?"

"I wasn't looking for ya if that's what ya meant," Casey rolled his eyes. "I saw the warehouse was empty."

"Casey, there's tons of empty warehouses." Raph gave him a look. "And ya just happened to choose the exact one I happened to be in, hmm?"

"I saw this one had footprints around it though." Casey shot back. He lowered his voice. "I was kinda thinking maybe somebody saw you though."

"So you were looking for me."

"No, I – man." Casey rubbed a hand down his face. "I didn't come out here to search for you, no. But when I saw the footprints, Leo had told me about you being with the homeless, and I thought if I saw one I could ask how you were doing. That make sense?"

"So you came out here to check on me?" Raph asked with a somewhat straight face.

"NO!" Casey shouted. "The idea occurred to me when I saw the footprints!"

"Oh." Raph stayed quiet and the two friends sat there, lost in their own thought. His head suddenly snapped up. "Ya can't tell Leo or any of the others." He hissed. "If they know where I live…shell."

Casey hadn't really thought about what his discovery meant. It meant he knew something that the other turtles would kill, literally, to know. "I won't tell." He promised. His eyes narrowed as Raph started coughing violently. "Ya alright, pal?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Raph waved his off. "Ya, I'm fine. Just a cold."

"I think it's a bit more than a cold, Raph." Casey smirked.

"Whatever." Raph drew his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them trying to gather heat from his own body. "So how's April?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Raph." He narrowed his eyes at the turtle. "You're not fine. Why don't you just go home and stop this? You're hurting yourself."

Raph's amber eyes blazed. "Home?" he growled. He waved his hand at the people around them. "This is my home now. Besides, ya think these people here can just 'go home'? No." he spat out angrily. "I won't just abandon these people when it gets rough. They took me in and showed me how to really live."

"This is living?" Casey asked in disbelief.

"I'm more alive here than I ever was before, Casey." Raph's fury increased with every word. "At home it was just training and listening to Master Leo all day. I could rarely do anything without somebody asking me where I was going or what I was doing!" he threw up his hands. "I couldn't even leave the lair without an excuse."

Casey's voice got quiet. "They miss ya Raph. They don't know what to do without you."

"Good." Raph sneered. "Maybe then they'll see the truth."

"The truth? Raph, they need you." Casey couldn't believe the pleading tone in his voice.

"They don't need me. I was told to leave."

Casey got quiet at the words. He'd only known Raph had left, never for what. "What did they say?"

Raph calmed down. Yelling was not going to get anything accomplished. "I got into another fight with Leo. Splinter, as usual, took his side. Splinter told me to leave and not to come back till I'd changed." His voice turned bitter. "Didn't want me to ruin his perfect home with his perfect sons."

"But, that's who you are," Casey couldn't believe Master Splinter would ever tell his sons that. Telling Raph not to get angry was like telling Leo not to practice ninjitsu.

"Yeah. He also went off into some kind of dream state and told me that he doubted his decision to train me. He thinks he's created some kind of monster." Raph growled. He slammed his fist on a crate top. Normally a large crack would form or his fist would go straight through. Now it just left the wood a few splinters less.

Casey was silent as the red turtle spoke. He could detect hurt and anger in his voice, but also pain at the words of his father and brothers. No wonder he no longer wanted to go back. The deeper Raph got into the story, the more choked up he got.

For once in his life, Casey did something he'd never done with any of this other friends before.

He cried.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl for being my amazing beta!!**

**Enjoy!  
**

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Don was busy inside his lab, hands fiddling with anything they touched. He wasn't working on anything in particular, he just needed to mess around and fix or experiment on something. The minute he heard the lair door fly open and heavy footsteps, he knew who it was.

He stepped to the door, about to greet Casey when the words were choked back. Casey was there alright, but seriously ticked off at something. Or someone. Don gulped as he ducked his head back in. He couldn't remember doing anything that might have made the man mad, but with the look on his face, the person (or turtle) on the receiving end was dead meat.

"LEO!" Casey roared at the closed dojo doors. He cracked his knuckles.

Mikey had stepped from his room and scurried to stand beside Donny. At his questioning look, Mikey whispered.

"Safety in numbers, dude."

Leo opened the door to the training room, swords still in his hands. He looked questioningly at Casey.

"What is it Casey?" Leo asked. He ducked as Casey's fist flew at him. As he moved, something snapped.

This is exactly what had happened with Raph. Right before he left.

Casey was about to aim another punch when Splinter stepped from the room, whiskers twitching at the enraged man.

"Mr. Jones, please calm yourself!" Splinter yelled in a loud voice.

Casey stopped and started breathing heavily. He put his hands on his knees, and glared at Leo and Splinter. "How could you?" he panted, anger in his voice.

Mikey shot Leo a questioning look. _What?_

"How could I what, Casey?" Leo sheathed his swords and stood beside Casey, waiting for him to catch his breath.

"Raph."

Leo's eyes went wide. Silence overtook the lair and for seconds, nobody dared to speak.

"You saw Raph?" Mikey asked in a small voice. His eyes held onto hope that he had.

"Yeah and he told me the whole lot." At Leo's pained look, he snarled. "**Everythin'**. Every word that was spoken and every feelin' that went through his head. Everythin'." He repeated.

Splinter calmly walked into the room, though his eyes were filled with grief. "Mr. Jones, why don't you have a seat and explain your evening to us?" Looking at his face, he went on, "it seems we have some words that need to be shared."

For the next hour, Casey was filled in with every detail. Every word that Splinter said and every word Leo had spoken. About the bear and its meaning, and the notes. About the attempted apologies they all tried to make.

When they were done, Casey leaned back into the couch. He was too stunned to say anything at first.

"Whoa." He breathed. "I need a minute to take this all in."

"Casey, where's Raph?" Mikey asked. "Where's he been hiding?"

Casey opened his mouth then remembered the promise he had made. He slowly shook his head. "I…I can't say."

Don spoke up for the first time that evening. "You can't or you won't?"

"I made him a promise, alright!" Casey nearly shouted. He was mad that he was caught in the middle of things and after everything was explained, he wanted to tell them. But a promise was a promise.

"Can you at least tell us how he's doing then?" Leo asked. None of them had been able to forget Raph left them injured.

"I guess I can tell you that." He stated quietly. "He looked pretty bad guys. The place was filthy and there weren't enough blankets to keep a kitten warm. I tried to give him my coat but he just handed it off to some little girl." He heard Splinter inhale sharply. "He was shivering bad and has a nasty cough. He looks and smells like garbage and by the looks of him, he hasn't gotten enough sleep. He looks weak and puny now." He drew a deep breath. "Overall…bad, guys. His leg's still giving him trouble; he was using the help of others to get around."

Casey almost smirked when he heard Don swear. But with all that was going on, he couldn't - wouldn't - allow even a small grin to pass across his features.

"So what do we do?" Casey asked, once everyone had time to register everything.

Leo stood up. His eyes narrowed angrily. "We're going to get our brother back."

Mikey sighed. "Leo, you keep saying that. You have been for a month. Sensei?" he looked to his sensei for help.

Splinter said nothing, just stared at his eldest son. "I believe Michelangelo is correct. I keep hearing words, yet I see no action behind them."

Leo looked at Splinter in dismay. "But you said -"

Splinter held up one furry hand. "I said that we must let Raphael do his part, as do we all. Raphael cannot make it right on his own. It takes two to have a fight, and it takes two to make it right."

"You said one though." Mikey was confused.

"Michelangelo, it takes only one to admit to a mistake, yet it takes two to fix it."

"Huh?"

Donnie sighed. "Mikey, you need two people to have a fight right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then. In a fight you only need one person to admit to the mistake and that's the first step to making it better. But it can't be properly fixed unless the two who fought it out both admit to it. So it takes two to have a fight, one to admit to a mistake, and two to heal it all the way. Kinda like the final seal on a patch up."

Mikey sighed. "I'm still confused."

"Okay Mike, let's say you and me get into a fight."

"Okay."

"Later, I realize that I said some things wrong and I need to apologize because I want to be your friend again. You follow me?"

"Yep!"

"Good. Now I go up to you and apologize. Now when you accept it, we're friends again." Don said. "But, let's say you don't accept the apology - are we still friends?"

"Uh…no." Mike's eyes lit up. "Oh! So it takes two to fight, it takes only one to realize it but it takes two to make things right again." At everyone's jubilant nod, Mikey gave them all a lazy grin. "I'm smart." His face quickly recovered his serious look and he went back to his glare at Leo. "Leo?"

Leo rubbed his head. "I…I don't know what to do, guys." He admitted. "Everything that's happened these past few weeks has been so confusing. I really don't know what to do…sensei?" he turned with pleading eyes, seeking his father's wisdom.

"Leonardo, what does your heart tell you?"

Leo looked startled at the question. "I – What?"

"Your heart, Leonardo." Splinter placed his hand on the blue clad turtle's plastron where his heart would be. "Your heart." He added softly.

Leo opened his mouth, and then quickly turned his head away. He'd never been asked something like that – the family always came first in his book.

"I'm not sure." Leo whispered before he pushed his brothers aside. "I need some air."

"Leonardo, running will only delay the problem." Splinter told him as he slipped on the heavy winter coat. "When you return, the problem will still be here. However, it could be worse than when you left it, or it couldn't." The elderly rat shrugged as if nothing was the matter.

Leo paused halfway in slipping on his coat. He needed to get out but…was his father warning him of something? Something that could happen while he was out alone with his thoughts? Surely he would say something. Surely.

He turned to ask but he had already retreated to his room for meditation. With a sigh, he finished his task of zipping, pulling the two ends together and he slipped on two gloves and a hat. He started to close the closet door when a large bag filled to the rim with old hats, gloves, scarves, and coats they had outgrown over the ages, caught his eye.

With a quick motion he grabbed it and rushed out the door. Maybe he'd see Raph and give him the articles of clothing - as a peace treaty or something. Anything to show the hot-headed turtle that Leo regretted what had happened. Maybe it would be enough…though he highly doubted it.

As he slipped up the manhole cover, he heard light footsteps following him. Spinning around, he was about to say something to his brothers for following him but it wasn't his brothers. Casey stood behind him, a determined look on his face.

"What do you want, Casey?" Leo asked, trying not to let irritation creep into his voice. He really wanted to be alone.

"I'll show you where Raph is." Casey mumbled, kicking up sewer dust and rocks with his heavy boot. "I owe you that much for almost…well…you know."

Leo bowed to Casey, thankful beyond words. "Casey…thanks. You'll never know how much that means to me. If it'll make you feel better," he said, noticing the slight hesitation in the man's blue eyes. "I'll stay away for awhile – just so Raph doesn't get it in his head that you showed me."

Casey nodded, relief flooding over his face like a wave. He eagerly shoved the manhole cover up, helping Leo to the darkened alley. Together they made their way across town, leaping buildings like leapfrog, ducking out of sight from any Foot ninja or from any stray people that wandered too far into an alley.

"There." Casey said finally, pointing to an old, broken down warehouse.

Leo's sharp brown eyes viewed the area, dismay showing on his normally collected features. The place – like Casey said – was a disaster waiting to happen. Even if they were desperate, Leo would never let his family near that place, it looked so hazardous. Leo could almost picture the bright orange and red signs flashing STAY AWAY OR LOSE YOUR HEAD or STAY OUT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!

"This place is a dump – literally." Leo growled as he pictured Raph being so desperate to live here.

"I know. Inside is worse." Casey told him. He gently pushed the blue clad turtle forward. "Go ahead. I would never make you wait to see Raph after missing him for over a month. I'll deal with him when the time comes. If it was April in there, I don't think I'd be able to wait, promise or not."

Leo shot a grateful look at his friend. "Casey thanks. Again. That's twice you've helped us today."

Casey shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a helpful person." He chuckled as he gave him another light shove. "Go on."

Leo nodded his head; his heart racing as he slowly approached the place. What would Raph say? What would he do? Would he get mad and order him out?

Leo half wished when Raph caught sight of him, he'd break down and beg to be let back home.

He footsteps drew closer and he was about to enter the building when whispering voices drew his attention. They were deep voices, rich and full. Obviously not from someone who had been outside and near frozen awhile.

He slowly made his way forward, each footstep set carefully upon the frozen ground. Using the shadows as cover, he drew near enough to hear them but not to be spotted.

"Ya see that frog in there?" one of the men hissed to his partner. His voice was young and as he turned to his friend, a familiar symbol flashed out at Leo from the man's heavy leather coat. Leo growled softly.

Purple Dragons.

"It's a turtle, you dumb cretin." His partner sounded much older, maybe in his late forties. He had a dark purple Mohawk and a dragon (obviously purple as well) tattooed on his smug little face.

Leo vaguely wondered, if he was careful enough – could he slice that annoying tattoo off the man's face with one of his katanas and not kill him? Hmm…?

"Does it matter what it is?" the first man chuckled. "It's going to be dead meat soon."

Leo's eyes narrowed dangerously as the man pulled a small black box from his coat pocket.

"Shouldn't we, you know, get all the people out first?" a young girl voice spoke up. Leo didn't notice the young teenage girl standing behind the men, in the dark shadows of the alley. She looked maybe seventeen, with dark red hair and a nose ring with a small dragon hanging off it. She wore all black.

"Nah…" the man in his fifties started attaching wires to the small box. "They're just a bunch of homeless dopes; nobody will notice a few less homeless people on the streets; not like anyone really pays much attention to them anyway."

"Well guess what, pal?" Leo hissed as he stepped from the shadows. Drawing his swords from their sheaths, he gave them a few experienced swings in the air. They cut through cleanly with a gentle whistling sound. "Party's over."

The girl paled and backed away instantly while the other two stood up, drawing various weapons from the pockets. One held a Swiss Army knife, the other a long chain with a spike at the end. The older man with the chain swung it over his head like a cowboy with a lasso.

Leo could tell instantly the man knew how to handle it. The man was good, but he was better.

"Why don't you calmly walk away and I won't have to kill you." Leo said calmly, death written in his voice.

"Kill us?" the younger dude laughed madly as he twisted his wrist, sending the knife into a few twists. "Okay, lizard boy, let's show you how the big boys play." With that, he lunged forward.

Leo neatly stepped aside, letting the boy lunge past him, stumbling when knife failed to meet flesh. Raising his sword hilt, he slammed it over the boy's head. He starred at the unconscious form at his feet. "And it's turtle." He hissed.

One down, one to go.

He spun around as he heard a high-pitched laugh. The girl was kneeling over the small black box, a crazed gleam in her eye. A small remote control rested in her hand, her thumb wavering over the red button.

Leo lunged forward, hands outstretched for the remote. Even in midair, he knew he wasn't going to make it.

With one last laugh, her thumb slammed down. A small click could be heard and a loud explosion shook the ground as a large fireball shot up into the sky. Debris rained down on Leo as he slowly began to get to his feet from being knocked to the floor. Turing he spotted the girl lying dead a few feet away, a long wooden spike producing from her chest from the flying remains of whatever was blown up. Blood shot out like a geyser; her body was already covered in it.

Her eyes were still open and still held that insane gleam, although her mouth was in the shape of an O. Her partner lay dead beside her, his head covered by a large stone. Blood slowly oozed out from underneath and Leo faintly realized what had happened. He was lucky to be alive – the girl was an assassin almost. She did her job, knowing it would get her killed in the process. And she'd seemed to be untrained at the beginning; Leo thought she'd be too scared to pull anything.

Her job…wait!

He turned, fearing the worse. Reality hit him like concrete when he realized what building she had just blown up. No. Shell no.

"RAPH!!!!" Leo screamed into the flames as they hungrily consumed the remains of the structure. "RAPH!!!!!!"

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**Reivew if you want to save Raphie! HAHAHAHAHAHA**


	16. Chapter 16

_**You guys are awesome! Raph's No. 1 Girl has done an amazing job at being my beta reader. (cheers)**_

**_Enjoy!_**

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No!

The words echoed in Leo's mind as he watched the blaze dance, seemingly out of control. The licked up everything it could reach: wood, barrels, clothes, and debris. Anything it could grab, it did and it was gone within a second.

Leo stumbled forward blindly, half of his brain yelling at him to run and save Raph! The other half is telling him that it was too late – he was gone.

No! Leo banished the thought from his head. The building was still standing; he could be alive in there. He could be pinned and watching the flames move towards him…

Leo's shell cell buzzed in his belt, causing the turtle to jump. Whipping it out, he spotted the concerned face of Don.

"What happened?" Donnie demanded.

Leo cut of his brother. "Get those air masks and get down to Fifth! Hurry – it's Raph." He added.

He saw his brother's eyes widen over the phone. "Give me a minute to -"

"We don't have a minute Don!" Leo snapped. His saw his brother wince at his harsh voice and felt a stab of guilt. He could apologize later - when Raph wasn't about to be barbecued. "I'm going in Don, hurry up."

"Wait! Leo don't - !" Leo snapped it shut and tucked it firmly in his belt. It would take his family about five to ten minutes to get here. That should give him enough time to find Raph.

Ripping off his mask, he soaked it in a small water barrel by the side of another warehouse. Tying it around his mouth like a bandana, he plunged inside.

He found himself relying more on his ninja training than ever before. Thick, dense smoke was everywhere, blocking all chances of hopes of vision. He heard people crying to his left and he stumbled in that direction, trying hard to avoid the flames.

He soon found he had to rip off all his pads or they'd catch fire too, that's how close he had to get to the blaze. As he headed towards the voices he could make out a small child crying. Reaching out his hands, he soon hit another person. Whoever it was grabbed hold of his hand and refused to let go.

Leo coughed harshly as smoke got through the now dry mask. He stumbled forward, grateful for the hands behind him. He found they helped support them as he led them back outside. As he turned, he saw seven people stumble out, all clutching a piece of clothing or a limb of a person in front of them.

He had saved two women, three men, and two small children.

Without a second thought, he rushed back in. "Raph!" he tried to call through his mask. It was getting harder to focus as he inhaled more smoke. Black spots started to threaten him as he made trips in and out of the building with people in tow.

After his third entrance, he felt he was going to faint. He was gasping for breath, but finding none. His chest heaved as he struggled to calm his racing heart. He took one step and found the world tilting at a funny angle.

He was falling. He knew that the second he landed on a fallen support beam. Or what was left of it anyway. He tried to stand, but found himself once more on the floor. He felt his eyes involuntarily start to close and brief thoughts of his family floated through his mind before he lost consciousness all together.

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"Mikey, you see him yet?" Don asked into the mic on his mask. He had just led two more people out of the building, carrying a third. Mikey was inside, searching for their two missing brothers. He was extremely appreciative for the masks they wore; without them there would have been no way to go in and out more than a few times.

"Nada." Mike's voice drifted through and Don felt fear grip his heart and start to squeeze.

"Keep looking, bro." Don urged his brother. "Just be careful."

"I'm not leaving until we find both of them." Mikey insisted. "And I'll be careful, you just focus on getting as many people out as possible."

Don wished that were true. Already the explosion had claimed eleven people, and they were only on the first floor. What would the other two bring? He had no idea how many people he had found and brought out had died from smoke inhalation outside. He prayed no more would be claimed that night; enough blood had been shed.

"Don!" Mikey suddenly screamed and Don winced. "I found Leo and he's out cold."

"Shell." Donny muttered, but he felt unusual panic and relief at the same time. "Where are you, Mikey?"

"Um, second floor, second door in."

"Two, two." Don muttered as he rushed towards the nearest staircase. The stairs were aflame, causing the purple-banded turtle to have to run though some to get to the top. It hurt like shell, but burns could be dealt with later. After Leo was safely outside. And Raph.

Shell, he had no idea if the hot-headed turtle was still alive. Could anybody still live through this much smoke? If they were incredibly stubborn, yeah. And Raph was undoubtedly the most stubborn person/turtle he'd ever met.

One door, he counted as he ran the hallway. Two. He shoved the door open, ignoring the burning doorknob. Just another burn.

Thanks to his mask, he was easily able to detect Leo and Mikey. Bounding over to them, he quickly lifted Leo bridal-style. The eldest turtle slumped in his arms as Don rushed him downstairs and outside.

Casey was already there with the battle shell, treating some people with the oxygen masks in the back. The second he saw Leo, he opened the back and Don shuffled him inside. Casey already had the special mask that fit their beaks out and had it over Leo's mouth before Don could shut the door.

"Where's Mikey?" Casey asked when Don was fully inside.

"Still looking for Raph." Don answered quietly as he grabbed another oxygen tank and mask. He would not leave the building until he found his brother and he doubted Mikey would either. The mask was for when they found Raph; he would need it the second they found him; if he was even still alive, Don thought fearfully.

Within minutes, the turtle found himself back in the blazing warehouse. The smoke was getting thicker as if the fire had found a new source of fuel to keep it burning a little longer.

"Mikey! Mikey, can you hear me, bro?" Don yelled into his mask mic.

There was a moment of static before Mikey's voice reached Don. "Yeah, I still haven't found him yet." His voice got quiet as Don realized the truth.

Raph was dead. There was no way he could've survived this long without fresh air. He was gone. Don's heart screamed no, but his brain said yes. They had been too late.

Mikey heard his brother's pause and knew instantly what he was thinking. "NO!" he screamed into the mic. "I'm not leaving him here!"

"Mikey," Don's voice was unusually quiet and pained. "We need to go – the warehouse could collapse here soon and I'm not losing a second brother."

"But he could still be alive!"

Mikey's voice broke Don's heart. With Raph dead and Leo out cold, he was in charge. "Mikey, that's an order. We need to get out now."

"But Raph - "

"Is gone Mikey." Don felt his own tears run down his cheeks, knowing for sure they were pouring out of his brothers. This was the hardest choice he'd ever make in his life. Leo often told him he could never understand the choices he's had to make sometimes – now he did.

There was a pause over the line before Mikey's spoke again. "Give me ten minutes." He pleaded.

Don sighed. He was going to do one more quick check for people that could still be alive. "Five, then you have to get out. This building is tough but it will collapse soon and I won't have you still in here when it happens. Understand?"

"Yes." The connection between the two brothers was broken instantly. Don sighed and went on with his search.

Mikey abruptly hung up the phone and ran down the hallway. This wasn't on fire – yet, but it soon would be. However smoke filled the path from top to bottom, leaving Mikey stumbling constantly in it. He was almost done with this floor, but there was still one more to go. There was no way in shell he could search both floors in five minutes.

He had to choose and he had to do it soon. Should he go on with his search or head to the next floor?

There, the staircase. It seemed to beckon him closer and Mikey found himself panicking. This choice could cost him his brother's life. If he made the wrong one…

Which one? His mind raced as he struggled to choose. One minute had already passed. He could delay no longer. With a second's doubt, he surged forward and up the stairs.

_Please be up here Raph_, Mikey prayed as his legs pounded up the wooden stairs. _Please be up here_.

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**Don't you just love cliffhangers?**

**(Dogdges mad mob)**

**Okay...still a no!**

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	17. Chapter 17

**Well here we go. Chapter 17. I'm pleased with how fast I'm getting this up. I'm also happy with the reviews (wipes forming tears). Anyway...**

**Raph's No. 1 Girl beta read this.**

**The TMNT characters do not belong to me. Honestly, did you really think they did? But, all OC's do belong to me.**

**Thanks and enjoy!  
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Mikey's hand went instantly to his shell cell in his leather belt. He wished he could call his brother's phone and just follow the ring to the owner. But Raph no longer carried a phone.

There were twenty rooms on each floor, each he had to go in to search, due to the smoke blinding his vision. He tore the first door open and ran inside. He was glad the mask allowed him to see somewhat in the smoky area – Raph wasn't in there.

Five doors later, he tore open another door. Nothing. With a scream of frustration he rushed to the next one, which proved to be vacant as well.

One his twelfth room, he felt a small beep going through the mic – Donny. His five minutes was up.

NO! Mike's heart raced as he pushed the small button on the side of his helmet to answer the call.

"Mikey!" Donny screamed. "You have to get out now! The building's about to give way!"

Mikey didn't answer his brother. Even as he spoke, the building started to sway roughly, throwing the young turtle off balance. His eyes snapped up, franticly searching the un-searched rooms and eyes landed on the last one at the end of the way. Something tugged at his heart and if it was the last thing he did - he had to search one more room. Just one.

He raced forward, ignoring this brother's shrieks in the mic. His hand reached for the knob and literally tore it off the frame. Stepping inside, he gave a weak gesture to wave the smoke from his face. He searched the room, his heart racing.

Nothing.

He was about to turn when something bright red caught his eye. Raph?

"Mikey!" Don screamed.

It was Raph. The turtle was laying face down, blood covering most of his body and wounds marking his green skin. His mask was torn and soot covered.

"I found Raph!" Mikey yelled into his mic as he knelt beside his brother. "Third floor, last door."

"Thank goodness." He heard Donny mutter. "Hold on Mikey, I'm on my way up."

The mic was switched off and Mikey went back to the task of getting his brother out alive. As he reached to turn him over, he spotted something lying under the red clad turtle. A pale hand was barely visible under the plastron. Raph had been shielding someone, Mikey thought as he rolled his brother off the person. It was Suri!

The young girl was out cold, her eyes closed and her cheeks red. He quickly took one last breath from his mask and fitted it over the girl's mouth. Under Raph, he had not only protected her from the blast and the flying debris, he had also shielded her from most of the smoke, allowing her to breathe a little easier.

A hand suddenly gripped his shoulder and Mikey didn't need to turn to know it was Don. The purple masked turtle quickly fitted the extra mask over Raph's beak before picking him up bridal-hold. Mikey did the same with the girl, his breathing getting harder by the second as more smoke poured into his lungs.

Don's eyes widened slightly when he saw his brother with no mask on, but was in no condition to argue. With a jerk of his head, he began to race down the hall and towards the steps. As they were going down the last steps on the second floor, the whole building started teetering and swaying dangerously.

Mikey clutched Suri tighter to his plastron and ducked his head as dust and plaster started to empty on them. There was the door, no more than a few feet ahead. Mikey heard a deafening collapse behind him and knew they were out of time.

Vigor started pumping through Don as he strained his leg muscles for all the energy he had left. They would never make it to the door, but maybe that window… He was ahead, having a slightly harder time, bearing the largest turtle's weight alone. He reached a still standing window and crashed through it, closing his eyes as glass shattered around him and Raph. He heard Mikey behind him, the turtle letting out a loud "OOMPH!" as he landed.

Casey was standing near the battle shell, the survivors huddling around the vehicle for the warmth rolling from the heaters inside. All watched in stunned silence as the place they had been able to call home for the past month buckled before their eyes. Some cried; some had anger on their faces, some too stunned to really comprehend what was happening.

Casey opened the back, and Don was relieved to see Leo sitting up, swaying slightly and the mask still over his face, but alive and breathing.

Leo shook his head in attempt to clear his foggy head as his brothers approached and moved off the small gurney for Don to place Raph on. Mikey had Casey lay down heavy blankets on the floor and he gently let Suri fall to the blankets. Don ripped of his mask and began checking over Raph.

Mikey just then noticed April among the people, checking them for injuries and damages. Some were lucky to escape with a few scratches, others not so lucky with broken bones and bad sprains. April noticed Mikey's frantic gestures to her and she hurried over, blood already covering her hands from previous treatment.

"How's he doing, guys?" she asked as she scurried over. Her mouth gaped open slightly at the sight and she slapped a hand over it. "Oh my…" she whispered.

Mikey knelt beside Leo, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "How ya doin', bro?" he asked quietly.

Leo shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I'm okay. How's Raph?"

Mikey glanced over at his brother. His shoulders sagged. "He's breathing." He offered hopefully.

Leo snorted as he stood. He went up behind Don, who was busy wrapping the turtle's arms. "Donny?"

"He'll live – maybe." Don told him briskly, the medical tone in his voice as he replaced the mask over Raph's beak. "Although I have to say it isn't good – not good at all."

"What's the extent?"

"His leg is severely broken," Leo eyes automatically shifted to Raph's legs, but a heavy blanket covered them. He was somewhat relieved; he really wasn't in the mood to see a broken leg and when Don said severely, it meant it was bad. The purple clad turtle never used those words unless something was.

"He also has some melted metal from the fire on his shell and quite a few deep cuts that'll need stitching." Don stood up, wiping the blood off his hands before he reached for a needle and a small thing of thread. "He has some bad burns, a number three I believe, mostly on his legs and on his arms. He was tossed around a bit from the first explosion and he inhaled a lot of smoke," his voice lowered so only the two of them could hear. "And that's not taking into account the last injuries he sustained. I'm worried most about his leg; if he was having trouble using it before then he's going to a have a shell of time with this. He'll be bedridden for a few weeks - we need to see if April has a wheelchair we can borrow for when he has to move – and can't use his leg at all until I say. He can't even bump it, that's how bad it is."

Leo breathed out, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "So are you saying that if we're not careful Raph could lose that leg?"

"Not lose it," Don corrected. "He'll have to use a cane to get around for the rest of his life if we're not careful with it. One knock against something, one wrong move, and he'll never be the same." His toned lowered another notch. "I mean that if anything happened…he…he won't be able to be a ninja."

A picture of Raph never again going on runs with them, never training, never bashing in heads, but hobbling around the a lair with a cane forced its way into Leo's head. The thought scared him, and if that were to happen, Raph would never forgive them. A ninja was all he knew – the only life he's lived – breaking it now could cut the final string of hope remaining between the brothers. He couldn't let that happen.

He just couldn't.

"So what do we do now?" Leo asked, regaining his voice. Although he tried to sound like a leader, he could detect exhaustion and fear in his voice. Fear of what had happened. Of what could still happen.

"April and I will take care of the leg," Don told him as he began rummaging through a medical kit. "You need to let Casey and Mikey know that they need to stay back until we have the leg wrapped and protected. That way we'll at least be able to move him…" his voice trailed off as he produced another roll of gauze.

Leo moved away and let his brother and their red-headed friend take care of his injured brother. He needed to talk with Mikey but as he began to walk out the door, he spotted Suri lying still unconscious on the floor of the van.

"What about her?" he tilted his head in the girl's direction.

Don paused in the middle of wrapping a bruise, his eyes landing on the girl's still form. "I…I have Raph to take care of." He told Leo. "She can wait."

"Don," Mikey had climbed into van, limping from the burns on his leg. "The cops are on the way. Seems someone called in."

Leo was a bit shocked, but not surprised, that it had taken this long for someone to either A, notice the flames or B, have enough courage to swallow their pride and help someone else for a change. _That's New York_, he thought ruefully as everyone hopped into the van.

He was about to close the van doors when a young blonde haired man ran up to them. He was soot covered and had a long scratch down one cheek and multiple bruises dotting his arms. He grabbed the door, halting Leo in closing it. His eyes locked on Suri.

"I'm going with you." He announced, his voice thick with determination.

Leo was about to chase the boy off when he noticed a small, very young girl at his side. She had wide blue eyes that blinked up at Leo innocently. One hand tightly gripped a small blanket and the other a small stuffed dog. Tear tracks streaked her dirty face and her lip quivered as she starred at the blue clad turtle.

Leo sighed. He held the door open wider and motioned them in. "Quickly now, the cops are coming and we can't be seen." The young man nodded and scooped the small girl up to Leo before hopping in the van himself.

The girl quickly snuggled into Leo's plastron and gave him a small smile. Leo frowned before offering the girl to Mikey.

Mikey took the girl. He gave her his famous beam and she frowned. First she looked at Leo, then to Mikey. Her eyes were narrowed. Donny made a comment to April and she turned to look at him with a thoughtful expression on her small five-year-old girl face.

Mikey smiled. "Hi there. I'm Mikey, what's your name?"

The small girl continued to frown at him. "Raphie?" she asked.

"No, I'm Raphie's brother." Mikey told her as he reached under the seat to grab a granola bar. He offered it to the girl. "Hungry?"

She nodded and tore it open, biting into it hungrily. It was gone within a minute. She offered the wrapper to Mikey who took it with a chuckle, throwing it into a small trashcan.

Mikey tried again. "What's your name?"

"Sammy." She told him in a small voice and then pointed to the young man who was sitting on an empty seat. "Joey." She informed him.

"Sammy, huh?" Mikey grinned.

Sammy nodded urgently as if it was very important that he understand it. "Yes, I Raphie's friend." Her voice got quite again. "He told me I big girl."

Mikey smirked at the thought of his rough and rude brother holding the small girl. "Did he now?"

"Yep." Her face brightened. She pointed at Leo. "Raphie's other brother?"

"Yes, Sammy. Why don't you go say hi?" he set the girl on the floor. Sammy slowly made her way to the blue turtle. Leo was so lost in thought he didn't notice the small girl until she tapped his leg with one small finger.

"What do ya want, kid?" Leo asked.

Sammy didn't say anything, just climbed into his lab and snuggled down. Leo stared in surprise. She looked at him and gave him another smile before wrapping the small blanket around her, shivering slightly. Leo grabbed a spare cover and wrapped the small girl in it. She quickly fell asleep.

"She likes you." The young man finally commented. "It took a few days for her to get used to Raph. She took to you quickly."

Leo snapped his head up to stare at the boy. "And you are?"

"Joey," he offered his hand, which Leo ignored. "I take it you don't like us."

Leo didn't say anything for a second. "I have my reasons." He paused. "And I'm Leonardo."

Joey nodded. "Leo, the leader of the clan. Raph enjoyed telling the smaller kids stories about you guys. They ate them up, especially the one where you all finally defeated Shredder in space."

"Raph told you guys that stuff?" Leo asked in disbelief. "I thought he was trying to ignore anything that had to do with us?"

"He was." Joey told him. "After he came back after he was out cold from the fight, a kid asked him and it started one story that led to another and another before everyone gathered around for story time. Heck, I enjoyed them. You guys really did all that stuff?"

Leo just nodded, shifting his weight to make himself more comfortable. "We're almost to the lair, you'll understand that we'll have to blindfold you; it'll be dangerous for you to know its location."

Joey shrugged. "As long as I stay near Raph and Suri, I'm fine. They're my friends."

Leo took out a small cloth and had Mikey blindfold the boy; glad he wouldn't have to do it to Sammy. The small girl was still sound asleep in his arms, resting her face against his chest. Leo motioned for Mikey to run ahead to prepare the infirmary and tell Splinter.

Leo didn't remember much about the trip through the sewers to the lair. He remembered Donny and April taking extra care of getting Raph to the lair on the gurney, carefully weaving around anything that could trip them and even taking the longer routes if it would be a smoother path. They weren't taking any chances.

As soon as his foot stepped in the door of the lair, he spotted Splinter keeping vigil by the medical part of the lair. Splinter twitched his whiskers at the small wrapped in bundle Leo was carrying.

"What is that, my son?" Splinter questioned, sniffing the air.

Leo revealed the sleeping girl's face to his sensei. Splinter's eyes twinkled at the sight of the child; it had been so long since there'd been an infant in the lair. His sons were the only children he really ever knew and despite all the trouble they got into, he loved every moment with them growing up dearly.

Leo placed the sleeping girl on the couch and laid a heavy blanket over her before facing his sensei. "Master, we found Raphael again."

"Michelangelo informed me, but failed to give me the details." Splinter looked at Leo expectantly.

Leo paused, not sure how to break the news to him. "Casey showed me where he lived and I was going to go visit him, you know, just to check up on him. I guess he hasn't been living too carefully 'cause there were three people there, looked like Purple Dragons, and they were about to blow up the place. I tried to stop them, but one of them got to it anyway. I think I messed something up – I don't think they had time to finish the bomb."

"Bomb?" Splinter's eyes flared at the word. His tail lashed back and forth.

"Yes sensei." Leo looked troubled. "The explosion caught the warehouse on fire and I just had enough time to call Don and the others to come help while I, um, helped people escape."

"You did what?" Splinter's eyes narrowed at this eldest. "And I suppose by helping, you rushed into the building?" his voice got deadly calm at Leo's meek nod. "I see."

A quick blur of brown and Leo was rubbing his sore arm where Splinter hit him with his walking stick. As the eldest, Splinter never expected Leonardo to do something so foolish as rushing into a burning building when he had no protection or mask – he'd leave that up to Michelangelo or Raphael.

"Go assist your brothers." Splinter dismissed Leo. "Help them get Raphael here – but tell me first, what are the extent of his injuries?"

Leo gave the details from what Don had told him. Splinter seemed particularly troubled about the leg.

"If he loses use of the leg, we may lose Raphael all together." Splinter told him firmly. "We must be cautious around him; he needs to heal both physically and mentally. This time the physical must be top priority, if we lose that we lose the mental part of the war."

"Yes sensei." Leo bowed before hurrying off into the sewers where he would intercept the others.

When he got there, Raph had still not woken up. Don and April carried him, while Joey carried the bruised Suri. Leo noticed they had taken his blindfold off. He didn't want the young man to know the location of the lair, but getting Raph there was more important. He could deal with matters of security later.

As they arrived at the lair, they had a repeated process of going into the infirmary, although Mikey and Casey were the only ones kicked out. Leo assisted Joey is treating Suri's wounds, while April, Splinter and Donny took care of Raph. Leo could almost hear his youngest brother's anxious pacing outside the doors. He wanted to comfort him, after all that was his job, but he had more important things to take care of. If Suri was really injured and there were lasting affects and Raph woke up and discovered that they had treated him before her, then he'd really be mad. It was a two-way deal.

As he glanced over at Raph though, he thought he saw his brother's lips moving slowly beneath the mask, as if he was trying to speak.

"Donny?" Leo pointed out the movement to his genius brother who quickly took off the mask. Raph's head was twitching slightly, and his mouth moved. Leo leaned over, his ear almost to his mouth. He strained to hear the pained words his brother said.

"Black…Demons." Raph painfully gasped out, his voice barely audible, and his eyes not opening. "Black Demons." Then he was still and silence once again overtook the lair.

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	18. Chapter 18

**Well I hope you guys like cliffies cause this ones gonna be a doozy. lol**

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**Well, here's the next chapter.  
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"Okay, guys, here's what we know." Don told the family later as they all gathered in the living room. Joey was still in with Suri and Sammy a day later. The teenage girl had woken up a bit before falling back asleep and Splinter allowed them to stay in Leonardo's room while they recovered. Leo doubted he'd be sleeping in that room until Raphael woke up anyway.

"Thankfully, Raph's leg wasn't as badly broken as it appeared to be," Don continued. "However, it's still in really bad shape and we all need to be careful around him not to bump it. It looks like he broke the largest bone in his leg, as well as his body, the femur bone. Being Raph, he'll want to move around a bit and the only way he'll be able to is in a wheelchair, which," Don tilted his head at April. "April has so graciously decided to lend us."

"Why can't he use crutches?" Mikey piped up.

"Because on crutches he'll be more likely to trip on, say, a stray skateboard or a remote controller," he gave Mikey a pointed look. The orange-banded turtle turned red under his gaze as he gave a nervous chuckle. "And he can accidentally hit it on a corner or something else. Remember, when you use crutches the leg can't just hang limp, it needs to be held either in front or behind you."

"So Donatello, how long will it be until Raphael will be able to walk unaided?" Splinter asked, sipping tea from a small teacup.

"If all goes well, I'd say…" he looked at April.

"Six to eight weeks." She finished. "By the end of those he'll need therapy to regain the strength and muscle he lost in that leg."

"And the rest of his injuries?"

Don shrugged. "Are minor compared to his leg. A few broken ribs that can be healed easily if the owner doesn't move around a lot; also another reason why he won't be allowed to have crutches. Besides that, he has some burns that will need to be kept wrapped and a few scratches that we'll have to watch closely for infection, but other than that, I'd say he got off lightly. He's very lucky."

"Lucky?" Mikey asked with disbelief in his voice. "Shell, if that's lucky I'd hate to see what unlucky is."

"People died, Mikey." Leo spoke up, the images of people dying or dead as he rushed in and out of the building to save people was all too fresh in his mind. "Raph is lucky to be alive, as are all the other people," he waved his hand in the direction of his room. "I'd say that was plenty lucky."

Murmurs of agreement filled the room. Mikey turned to Leo. "So what's next? And what about that thing or whatever Raph, uh, told us about? The Black Demons?"

"We don't even know what it is." Leo frowned. "Whatever that thing is, it seems to be after Raph. We need to wake Raph up so he can tell us."

"He won't have to." A voice spoke quietly from the doorway. Everyone whirled to see Joey leaning against the frame.

"How long have you been there, child?" Splinter growled. He didn't like it that he'd been listening in.

"Long enough." Joey walked into the room, seemingly oblivious to glares by Casey and Leo. He sat on a spare chair and looked up at them. "The Black Demons are a group of imposters."

"Imposters?" Mikey scoffed.

Joey leaned back, crossing his arms. "They go around the city, posing as different gangs. They do damage, get the gangs in trouble. One by one, the gangs either split, break up, or fight back."

"How does that work?" April asked the teen.

"Simple. They pose, do dirty work, get the police all huffed up and angry, the cops go and arrest the actual gang members, even though they didn't do anything. When they get the boys in blue mad enough to start arresting every gang member in sight, they stop posing and go find another gang to pose."

"So they guys and girl I saw over at the warehouse may not have been actual Purple Dragons?" Leo asked, astonished.

"Where was their tat at?" Joey leaned forward.

"The faces." Leo recalled, remembering his thought of whether or not he could slice it off.

Joey scoffed and leaned back. "Fakes." He announced.

"How do ya know?" Casey growled, angry that the Dragons he took down in the past may have been fakes.

"Easy. Only the leaders have dragon tats on their faces." Joey smirked. "That's the way they can be identified; if they wear a symbol on the faces, it's their way of saying who they really are. Ya see," he shifted. "Purple Dragons only have one leader at a time. They become leader by popular vote by the other Dragons. Then they go and get a dragon tattooed on their face to show off. That way they have two dragons on them; one on some part of their body and another on their faces."

"By why don't the real Dragons take down the fakes?" Don asked.

Joey shrugged. "With as many Dragons as there are in this town, some may not know who the real leader is. If they go and kill the real leader, they get killed themselves. And a leader don't become leader if he ain't mean; so if another questioned their leadership…" he drew one finger across his throat to prove his point. "Better ta ignore them than take a chance and question."

The lair was silent as they all absorbed the new information they just received from the kid.

"How do you know this, child?" Splinter sighed as he studied the teen.

Joey frowned. "It's just Joey." He insisted. "And living on the streets for as long as I have, I know what's what."

Splinter smiled. This young boy reminded him of Raphael. "Fine then, Joey."

Leo stood up, reaching for his swords. "Then I suggest we go and see if we can't have a friendly chat with one of these Black Demons." His eyes narrowed. "I want to know what he wants with Raph."

Casey whooped as he stood up. He started to reach for his bag filled with bats and hockey stick but a stick slapped against his hand stopped him. Splinter smirked as he wagged a finger in his face.

"No Mr. Jones. I insist you stay here with me and help with Raphael and the other children. No doubt when they wake, they will need a friendly human face to look at instead of a large rat such as myself." Splinter smiled as the vigilante slumped back, crossed his arms and pouted.

Mikey smirked. "Well you're looking in the wrong place if you're looking for a friendly face." His face lit up. "Hey, I'm a poet!" he laughed.

"That ain't fair." Casey whined.

April stood as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Life ain't fair, darling." She drawled as she gave him a grin. "Don't worry – you'll get over it."

"Wha-!" Casey jumped to his feet. "How come she gets ta go?"

Splinter somehow managed to stay serious. "Mr. Jones, I believe that has already been explained to you. Someone must stay and you have been chosen." He stood, whiskers flicking. "One more word and I'll have you doing back flips."

Mikey chuckled at the man as he, Don, Leo and April all began to head out the door. "Have fun, Case!" he called as the doors slammed shut behind him, grateful he couldn't hear the words Casey was shooting in the direction of the closed doors.

"So, Joey told us what to look for in the Black Demons," Leo spoke as they moved through the sewers to a specific manhole that would take them up in the more abandoned part of town. "We need to look for anyone with a purple dragon tattooed on their forehead."

"Should we split up?" Mikey asked. They could cover more ground that way.

"Are you nuts?" Leo hissed, oblivious to his brother's wince. "We're heading into gangster territory. Splitting up is not only dangerous and risky but will alert the others; word will spread. No," he said determinedly. "We stay together."

"So what's the plan then?"

"We go, stick to the shadows, wait and when one walks by, we grab him and force him to talk." Leo told them. That plan sounded good; it would keep them together and they had each other for back up. The plan was simple, easy and should be no problem for them to carry out.

He paused in his thoughts, waiting for a voice to speak up and diss his plans into next Tuesday. When he heard no voice, Leo felt a pain he had grown all too familiar with the past few weeks, shoot through his chest and right into his heart. The pain made him all the more determined to make sure this mission was a success.

"Here." Don said simply, pointing to an approaching ladder that led up to the manhole on their right after ten more minutes of walking in silence.

"Good," April muttered to herself as she followed Mikey up the ladder. "This smell is driving me nuts."

"It's because we're in this part of the town," Don told her as he followed her up. "The worse the town, the worse the sewers. It's as simple as that."

"Still gross." April whispered back.

"Shut it you two." Leo whispered sharply as hit the top. "From now on, total silence." He pointedly looked at Mikey.

Mikey narrowed his eyes at the eldest turtle removed the manhole lid. He peered around then jumped out, his eyes still alert for any signs of danger or people. Finally, he motioned the other three up.

"Mike," he whispered. "You take the roofs and signal us if you see anyone approaching from the left." He turned to April, "you take the right. Use our shell-cells or walkie-talkies if you see anyone. Everyone got it." At their nods, he gave the signal and they both took positions.

"What about me, Leo?" Don whispered tensely next to Leo as they took cover behind a large dumpster, crouching.

"You will help me take out the goons." Leo told him. "We only need one. While I grab one, it's up to you to take out however many there are left."

"How do you know which one to grab?"

"The one that's in front of the others and that does the most talking." Leo gave a grim smile. "I know thugs; the one who's the leader is the loudest and does most of the talking. He'll know more than the others."

"And if he doesn't?" Don really prayed Leo would snatch the right one.

"Then we'll tie him up for the cops and take the others." Leo looked over his shoulder at his younger brother. "One of them has to know something. Just, try not to knock them out too hard. If it comes down to that, we'll want them awake in a short period of time."

Don gave Leo a crooked smile. At least Leo didn't ask him to kill the others, just knock them out. He'd have no problem doing that; Splinter had trained him well enough to knock a man out and not leave a mark and also to kill without leaving one. He was a ninja after all, a trained killer. He just tried not to be.

As darkness seemed to descend on the city, the purple clad turtle pulled out his shell cell for what seemed like the twentieth time that evening. They'd been there, crouched in the cold weather, for almost four hours.

He shifted his legs, all muscles still tensed, and stared out of the dark alley. Despite a few people hurrying home from work, the roads seemed bare. Donnie readjusted his grip on his Bo, hoping for some action soon.

"Nothing yet?" he whispered to Leo. The blue clad turtle had remained frozen the whole time, not a muscle twitching. His hands rested on his sword handles, fingers barely brushing the rough blue fabric. The only movement was an occasional blink and the gentle sway of his bandana tails.

"No." His head finally moved to stare at his brother from over his shoulder. "Call Splinter and see how Raph is doing."

Donnie nodded and flipped open his shell cell, punching the small numbered buttons that would reach his sensei's phone. He waited three rings before a voice picked up.

"Donatello, my son." Splinter warmly greeted him.

"Sensei, you answered quickly." Don was impressed. It usually took his sensei around twenty rings before he hit the right button and still he was punching buttons, unaware that he had already answered the phone. And he knew who it was, another point on his part.

"Yes, my son." Splinter chuckled. "How are things?"

Don glanced up at the two staked on the roof. Nothing.

"Still nothing yet, sensei. How's Raph holding up?"

"Raphael has yet to awaken, although, uh, Joey is in there with him, along with that darling child."

"Sammy, father."

"Ah, Sammy." Splinter sighed. "She is beautiful and has taken a liking to me I believe."

"That's good." Don had been afraid that the small five-year-old would have been terrified of the elderly rat. "Has Suri woken up yet?"

"She has woken long enough for Joey to assure her of where she was, and then she promptly fell back to sleep." Splinter answered. "Raphael is doing better; I was able to remove the breathing mask without trouble and his breath is normal and steady. His leg has not been touched at all since you've been absent, since I believe that was part of your main unease."

Don breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes master, thank you." He was about to voice his next thought when a barely audible sound of sword against leather hit his ears. Don glanced up at Leo removed his second sword, his eyes fixed to the left.

"Go to go, sensei." Don quickly hung up, dropping it back into the small pouch in his leather belt. Drawing his staff, he took his place beside Leo, weapon at the ready.

"Ya hear about that killing Macy and the guys pulled off?" a male voice snickered to his companion. He sounded young, in his twenties by Don's estimation.

His partner answered. His voice was really deep and had an Australian accent to it. "Yeah. I also heard they all kicked the bucket doing it."

"Good thing too; Macy was really starting to drive us crazy."

"I heard they were after some freaky lizard or something." The Australian guy laughed. "Heard they had to blow up a warehouse full of homeless people ta get to it."

Leo waited until he could clearly hear their footsteps before revealing himself. Don stayed in the shadows, his Bo clutched in both hands, waiting for his signal. He had to admit that if he hadn't seen Leo reveal himself from the shadows before, he would have been creeped out as well. It was like a shadow suddenly took form and started breathing. A shadow became a living thing that could hurt and help, build and destroy, love and hate. The shadow came to life.

"Yes, and lives were taken to get to my brother." Leo hissed while his eyes narrowed dangerously behind his blue mask.

"What the…" the youngest guy took a nervous step back while the older man did a wonderful impression of "deer caught in the headlights". "It's one of those lizard things!" he blurted out.

Leo raised one of his swords and gave it a few practiced swings through the air. The moon glowed on the blade, giving its normally dangerous look a whole other meaning. Danger was too weak a word.

"Which one of you knows about the explosion that happened last night?" Leo asked, his tone low.

The youngest man hurriedly pushed his companion forward. "He does." He stammered as he staggered back. "He was gonna go if one of the others backed down."

That was all Don needed to hear. Like another shadow come alive, he brought his Bo staff down hard on the boy's head. With a groan, he sank to his knees, then to the ground.

The older man twisted his head, panic growing inside of him as Mikey joined the group. All three held weapons in his direction.

"Tell me what you know about it." Leo growled as he took a threatening step forward, raising his katana to show he was serious. "Now."

"We were just supposed to take out the frea – I mean lizard, man." He stammered.

"Turtle." Mikey snarled. He didn't know what was more annoying: the fact that they were referred to as lizards or the fact that even in the face of them, he still was about to call them freaks.

"Our boss, Ladle, just told us to plant a bomb wherever the lizard, I mean turtle, was." He whimpered. "Please don't kill me."

"Ladle?" Mikey raised an eyebrow in Don's direction. "How come all our villains have to be named after kitchen appliances?"

Don gave a small smirk as he shrugged at his youngest brother. How come they had to have people trying to kill them crossed his mind as well.

"Okay boy, here's what I'll do," Leo now stood in front of the boy, his sword inches from his quivering throat. "I'll let you live if you give me directions to where this Ladle lives."

"I can't!" the man looked ready to cry, he was so scared. "He'll kill me!"

Leo softened at the man. He stepped back and lowered his swords. "Look," he sighed. "I've had enough violence to last me awhile. You go into hiding for a few weeks, preferably out of state, while we deal with this guy. If you return in a month, the problem will be gone and you'll be safe from Ladle and his goons. I'll let you walk away from here, you and your buddy, if you tell me. I won't breathe a word to your boss if and only if you leave and you get a real job and no more gangs." He bowed. "Ninja honor."

The man relaxed an inch. "Ya promise?" his lip quivered and his eyes held a desperate hope that he might walk away from the mutants alive.

Leo nodded, trying to look as sincere as possible. "When I give promises, I keep them, no matter what. However, after a month, you're safety relies on you."

The man nodded eagerly. For some reason, he trusted this turtle. "Okay, his normal hangout is the empty warehouse across from the police station. About two buildings down to the right, there's a secret passage that leads underground and to the hideout."

"And how do we find this passageway?" Leo asked.

The man lowered his voice. "First room, eleven doors in. There's a rug with a big wolf on it. There's also a code that you need to remember. It's one, three, five, two, and four. As soon as the rug is lifted and you set the numbers in, you have to wait ten whole seconds before you put in the numbers again backwards. If you don't a silent alarm will go off."

Leo bowed again to the man. "Thank you again. I believe you should leave tonight if possible."

The man hurriedly nodded before dropping to the floor by his companion. "I'm Duke by the way." He told Leo.

Leo paused, turning back around to stare at the man. A smile tinted his face. "Leonardo."

"Thank you Leonardo." Duke told him sincerely. "I have one question before you leave though."

Leo stopped again. "Yes?"

"Why?"

It was simple, one word question. Leo wished he could respond the same way back in one simple word. "Because I was raised to protect those who could not and to believe in second chances."

Duke's eyes widened. "A second chance?"

"A second chance." Leo said. "You've had one chance at life, only one way to live. Now I'm opening up a second path, one that may be harder but I guarantee you the reward at the end will be much more filling. But only you can choose which path. The road may be hard, but does that not make the prize all that much more at the end?"

Duke closed his eyes, savoring the wise words of the blue masked turtle. When he opened them again, he looked to same spot the turtle had been standing in only seconds before. Now only an empty street greeted him.

"Yes," he whispered as he looked at the full moon that gave light to the dark city. "Yes, it does."

"Dang Leo." Mikey shot a grin at his eldest brother as they scaled the rooftops. "You got a little deep there, bro."

"Was that wise to just let him go?" Donnie asked worriedly. He was never one for killing, but if it came down to him or his family…

"Yes." Leo told them as he leapt, defying gravity once more. He landed effortlessly on the next building, his stride never breaking. He'd just sent a very reluctant April home. "He was just one more lost soul. I gave him a reason to think and realize what he's doing and a chance to change. Tell me, Don," he turned his gaze at his brother, still moving at the same speed. "Don't they all deserve a second chance at life? Especially if they're willing to change?"

"I guess so." Don mumbled. "I'm just saying that he could alert the gang that we're coming."

"He could," Leo agreed. "But he won't. He already revealed some information to us that should never have even entered his mind while he was at our mercy. He goes back, he admits to a flaw. How many gangs can afford weak members?"

"None." Don grinned sheepishly. "I get it, Leo."

Mikey voiced his thoughts. "What kind of a gang would have his hideout right in front of the police?"

"The kind who doesn't want to be found." Don explained. "The best place to hide something is in plain sight."

Leo nodded, though his thoughts and concerns were on the mission. He really hadn't planned this far ahead – he hadn't thought he was going to get information this quickly – but he couldn't back down now. Not until his brother was avenged.

Sure enough, they found the trapdoor in the warehouse, entered the code and soon found themselves in a long passageway carved from the earth. Support beams had been stationed everywhere and lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving off an eerie glow to the cave. Water dripped from the ceiling, startling Mikey when a large droplet landed on his nose ridge.

"Yikes!" he gave off a girly scream, jumping back and nearly colliding with Donny, who caught him, whilst giving him a dirty look.

"Quiet." He hissed. "These people tried to blow up a place full of innocent people to get to Raph; I'd hate to see what they would do to us if they caught us here." He shoved the youngest turtle off.

"Come on." Leo urgently waved his hand towards the wooden door at the end. The two youngest turtles darted forward, peering out.

"Holy shell." Don cursed as his eyes landed on crates filled with animal skins, bones, and remains of animals. "This is a black market."

"Quite right, my dear turtle," a voice chuckled from the shadows. They all whirled around, weapons drawn and ready when a man stepped from behind a support beam. Dirty brown hair was shoved to the side, revealing bright brown eyes.

"Hey isn't that…?" Mikey began to blurt, struggling for the right name. His eyes suddenly narrowed as the name hit him and he clutched his chucks tighter. "You're--"

The man chuckled again. "That's correct." He straightened, and men surged around him and the turtles. "Shaun."

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***Runs from mad mob***

**I'll update chapter 19 on thursday, as always.**

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	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry about how short this was, but I'm writing many at a time so...Imprisoned will be updated next.**

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Leo let out a threatening growl, making his stand between the man and his brothers. "What is it you want, Shaun?" he growled.

Shaun clasped his hands behind his back, rocking on his feet. A slightly bored expression played across his face. "Well, I've been in the black market business for almost fifteen years now, you see…"

"You pretended to be homeless?" Don voiced, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah no, I was homeless." Shaun's eyes narrowed. "Grew up on the streets, raised off the dumpsters of fast-food and charities. Grew up alone."

"Then why all this?" Leo waved a hand at the boxes. "Why?"

Shaun rolled his eyes, an exaggerated sigh escaping. "If you'll be quiet long enough for me to tell you, then maybe I will." When the turtles quieted down, the man grinned and continued. "You see I was about twelve at the time. I had no friends, it was winter and I was cold, starving and alone. I was curled up in a box next to an old factory, trying to get warm. I was staring at the families walking down the sidewalk when I heard a yelp. I loved animals so I ran forward to help. After all," he smiled. "What could they do? Tell on me? Anyway, I saw a man beating a small puppy. I thought he was going to kill the poor thing, but he decided it wasn't worth his time so he left him." His voice turned hard. "A small puppy alone, beaten and bloody, on Christmas Eve. Well I took the puppy in, cared for it, loved it, took care of it for five years."

"So what happened?" Mikey being an animal lover himself, was fuming inside at the thought of anyone doing that to a dog.

"I was walking back to the filthy place I called home. Mason, that's what I named him, never left my side. He was a great dog – or so I thought. Anyway, I was walking back when two guys popped out of nowhere and started to beat me up. I screamed for Mason and what did that dog do? He ran away." He was almost screaming now. "That dog, who I loved and cared for all those years, ran away. I saved his life and he ran, with his tail between his legs."

"Was it possible that he wasn't able to protect you?" Mikey asked softly.

"NO!" Shaun screamed, his hands flying in the air. "He was a German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix. He could have easily taken those two out. Heck, I've seen a Chihuahua acting fiercer than Mason did. But he didn't and I almost died that night and would have if it wasn't for a kind family who saw the whole thing and took me in."

"So you've hated animals all this time because of one dog?" Don murmured, unbelieving.

Shaun visibly regained control of himself, straightening his jacket and standing taller, squaring his shoulders. "Yes," he growled. "Animals have done nothing but given me grief my whole life; why should I repay them with kindness?"

"But this?" Leo motioned with his hand towards the boxes. "This isn't revenge; this is cold murder."

"Why not?" Shaun smirked. "I get my revenge and get a little money as well. Besides, in my book, revenge and murder are the same thing. Regardless, they'd end up dead anyway."

"Then why were you after Raph?" Leo raised an eyebrow at the mad-man. "Why'd you try to kill him?"

Shaun snickered as if the question had the most obvious answer in the world. "Do you have any idea what a shell, especially one of your size, will go for?"

Both Don and Leo grabbed Mikey by the arms as the orange clad turtle lunged forward with a shriek of rage. Shaun didn't even flinch, just stood still with a smirk on his face as the two older turtles battled with the youngster to keep him at bay.

"Mikey," Leo hissed warningly in the youngest turtle's ear. "Calm down. I don't need you to get shot or killed so just calm down. We'll have our revenge on him soon enough."

Mikey slowly calmed down, though his whole body was vibrating with negative energy, aimed at the smirking man that stood before them.

"Dare I ask why you wanted to kill Raph, when the price could have been so much higher with him alive?" Don asked, trying to draw attention away from Mikey.

Shaun simply shrugged his lanky shoulders. "Why? That's why I have you three." He looked over his shoulder at the men that stood behind them, weapons ready. "Take them down." He quickly darted out of the way as the weapons clicked on, and were aimed at the three turtles.

Leo instantly leapt before Mikey, using his katanas to deflect the tranquilizers aimed at him. Don's Bo and his swords could prevent them from getting hit while Mikey's chucks couldn't.

"I'll distract them Mike, and when they have to reload, jump for them." Leo whispered to Mikey. "I'll have your, um, shell."

"No problem, bro." Mikey whispered back as the stupid grin he always wore into battle appeared on his face. "Bring it on."

Leo took small, but deliberate strides towards the men, with each step forcing them farther back. Mikey was ready, both his chucks secure in one hand while he awaited Leo's signal.

"NOW!" Leo screamed suddenly over the noise of the battle.

"Cowabunga!" Mikey whooped as he used his free hand to launch off Leo's shell and into the crowd of men. The second his feet touched the ground, both chucks were off spinning at a dizzying pace. Mikey spun around on his toes, his weapons knocking down men like bowling balls as they connected with face, stomach or any part below. Many went down with a groan, clutching their wounded areas with a shaky hand and a pale face.

Don was in a constant pattern of sweeping his Bo in a circle to ward of any men and constantly had to suddenly tilt his staff horizontally to catch any darts flying at him. Already his weapon held multiple darts on all sides and Don was finding it hard to find a place to grasp. The needles of the darts were too deep in his staff for him to simply pull them out without using much strength and time.

"We've got to get out of here!" Don yelled at Leo as another round of darts was shot at him. He tilted his Bo again, holding it firm as the darts lodged themselves deep in the wood. "I don't know how much longer I can take this, let alone my Bo!"

Leo sliced the stomach of one man who had aimed his gun at Mikey. Mikey was doing a great job of keeping the men at bay, though he constantly had to dodge. Leo twisted his katana with a swift movement behind his back, warding off an approaching tranquilizer. Donny was right; they had to get out of there. His arms were already starting to weaken and Donny's staff was about covered with darts. The only one who seemed to be doing okay was Mikey, his constant energy flow coming in very useful.

Leo shot a look at his surroundings, using his ninja training to ward off any attacks while his eyes looked for a way out. There was nothing, no doors, no anything. The only way out was the way they came in. Shell.

"Mikey!" Leo screamed at his orange clad brother while doing a spinning kick, adding more men to the groaning piles on the floor. "Make a path!"

"Roger that, captain." Mikey said in an extremely fake sailor accent. Using his chucks, his began to make a path through the men, still dodging the stupid darts while Donny and Leo covered his back while following him.

"Go! Go!" Leo shrieked at his brothers as they opened the door and started to rush through. Leo followed being the last out the door. As soon as one foot was through, he felt a small, yet painful prick on the back of his right leg, just below his knee.

His mind suddenly went jumbled and his eyes went blurry. He felt his legs go weak and he was barely aware of his body falling slowly to the floor. He felt no pain. He heard his brothers scream his name and using all the energy he had left in his failing body, he mumbled. "Go! Leave me guys." His eyes started to close. "Take care of Raph." The dart took full effect, and he saw nothing but black.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Don't own them.**

**Thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl for beta reading this!**

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**

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"No Leo!" The second the young turtle saw his brother fall to the floor, he immediately stopped, and spinning around, he started to rush back to the fallen Leo.

"No Mikey!" Don shot forward, grabbing his youngest brother and halting him in his tracks. "We can't go back there!"

"But Leo --" Mikey protested, struggling against Don's iron grip on his arm. "We can't leave him!"

Don glanced up, paling when he saw the men barging through the once locked door. A few stopped by Leo while the rest rushed at him and Mikey. "Mikey, we need to leave. We will rescue Leo later." he stared into his brother's huge, frightened blue eyes. "I promise."

Mikey just stood there, frozen, until a dart landed inches from his foot. With a yelp, he shot backwards and once again running from the crazy thugs with guns. Don was beside him, his chest heaving for breath and his legs protesting every step he took. His heart thumped wildly and he suddenly felt a slap of guilt.

This was the second time he gave up on a brother. First with Raph, he'd almost left him in that burning building and now he'd left Leo behind with them. If not for Mikey, Raph would be dead for sure. Now Leo was gone and Don understood what that meant. With Leo captured, and Raph out cold, that left one turtle to avenge Raph and rescue Leo; one turtle to set things right; one turtle to lead the other.

Him.

* * *

"Guys, you're alright!" April cried, jumping to her feet as soon as the lair door opened. She nervously brushed a hand through her hair as Donny and Mikey walked through, but no Leo. "Where's Leo?"

Mikey just stared at the floor. Don gave a nervous cough as Splinter tapped his way into the room. His ear gave a nervous twitch at only seeing two of his sons. He was sure he'd sent away three.

"My sons?" he questioned, feeling the tension in the air. "Where is Leonardo?"

"They took him." Don whispered hoarsely. He was about to go into details when a low, pain filled voice stopped him.

"Who took him?"

Despite everything, his heart fluttered with joy. He felt Mikey tense beside him as they both spun simultaneously.

There, looking pale and tense, sitting in a wheelchair with one leg propped, wrapped tightly in white and up in front of him and with Suri at his side, was Raphael.

"Raph!" Mikey screeched as he lunged for his handicapped brother. Don grabbed him by the shell, inches from his brother. Mikey stopped suddenly, and a sheepish grin filled his features but his voice was still filled with unimaginable happiness. "Raph."

Raph tried to appear tough and act like he didn't care. But one look at his baby brother's face broke whatever tough act he tried to put on. He held out both arms in the orange wearing turtle's direction with a sigh of defeat.

"Come here, knucklehead."

Nothing, no brother, wild horses, or Shredder himself, could keep Mike away from his brother. The same brother who they'd saved and healed; the same brother who'd been missing for over a month; the same brother who Mikey was proud to call a brother.

A brother he loved with every fiber of his being, with every ounce of his soul and every inch of his heart. And nothing, time or space itself, was going to change that.

The second Mikey fell into Raph's arms, even though they weren't the usual thick muscles he was used too, he broke out into tears. He pressed himself tightly against Raph, holding onto him, making sure he was really there. The tighter he hugged, the more real it all became and the more reluctant Mikey was to let go.

The second Mikey fell into his arms, Raph thought he was going to break out into tears, sobbing hysterically like his younger brother was doing on his shoulder. He didn't, but he did let a few tears slip silently down his cheeks and onto Mikey. The orange clad turtle must have felt them somehow, for he started bawling harder, his sobs wracking his body. Raph hugged his youngest brother as tight as he dared without injuring or agitating his wounds further. He was so glad to see him. He'd missed him so much it almost hurt.

Raph loved Mikey's hugs, but while injured with bruised sides and broken ribs, it kinda hurt.

Actually, it hurt A LOT.

"Mikey," Raph gently tried to break Mikey's death grip on him. "Mikey you're kinda hurting me. Can ya let go?"

Mikey instantly released his crushing hold, leaping back as though a rattle snake was about to bite him. He gave his brother a nervous smile; he prayed he hadn't hurt him. That was the last thing Mikey wanted to do was damage Raph and make him mad so he would leave again. The girl beside him, Suri, gave him a smirk as she gently squeezed Raph's uninjured shoulder.

Don gave an uneasy grin at Raph. He definitely did not expect a welcoming hug like Mikey had received; a simple wave of the hand, a smile, or a hello would make his day.

Raph looked his way and for many seconds they stared; eye to eye. No harsh words were passed or disgusted faces, only a stone hard stare. Don finally broke the silence; unable to stare at the turtle he'd hurt all these years.

"Hey." Don gave his brother a pleading look.

_Please don't hate me. Please…_

"Hey Don." Raph finally spoke. He stared hard at him for a few more seconds before a grin settled on his features. "What? No thorough checkup? No questions? No "How are you feelin'? What thoughts are currently passin' through your tiny brain?" None o' that?" he narrowed his eyes, staring hard at his brother as though he could see through him. "Ya feelin' okay?"

Don abruptly let loose the grief he'd been holding those weeks without Raph around. The tears started slow, as if afraid to show themselves to the outside world, then came rushing out like lava from a volcano. Raph was clearly expecting this and held out his arms in a similar manner as he did with Mikey.

Don suddenly found himself needing his brother more than at any other time in his life. He didn't care that April, Casey, Splinter or even Mikey saw; he just wanted his brother. Raph was always so strong, passionate, and almost immortal to Don, he'd never imagined anything could get the red clad turtle crying. But now he did.

They stood there for several minutes, locked in an awkward embrace, having to kneel on the floor and to the side so they wouldn't disrupt his leg. Mikey had joined in after watching them for a while. He wasn't the one to be locked out of a brotherly moment such as this.

Within minutes, everyone had gathered around and was hugging each other tearfully, all embracing (or trying too) Raphael. If they couldn't get close enough, they simply hugged the person who was touching Raph, feeling they would get the same effect as if they were actually touching him.

Nobody knew how long they sat/stood there, crying. Casey was the first to recover, backing up and wiping the tears from his red eyes. He managed a brave smile.

"Good ta have ya back Raph." He gave him a friendly (and light) punch in the shoulder.

Raph playfully growled, raising his fist in a mock attempt to smack the man. "Casey, I swear when I get outta here…"

"You'll do what, crippled?" Casey shot back.

Raph just laughed. It was good to see their faces again. Even though he still had some stuff he needed to talk with Splinter about, and probably Don as well. He faced the purple clad turtle. "So who got Leo?"

The lairs cheerfulness quickly died off as everyone remembered the problem at hand. Mikey spoke up in a pained voice.

"We…we went to search out the Black Demons."

Raph's face showed his shock. "How'd ya know bout them?"

"You informed us about them while you were unconscious Raphael." Splinter said.

Raph wanted to kick himself. How could he have done that? By doing that, he'd gotten Leo captured. "So you went and searched them out. Find them?"

Mikey gave a small nod. "They're the ones who have Leo."

"WHAT!!!" Raph yelled. He started to lift himself up by the arms, determined to stand. They left Leo in the hands of those loonies?

Don reached forward and with Casey and Suri's help, forced the turtle back into the seat of the wheelchair. "Calm down Raph." He protested against his brother's struggles. "We will go get him."

Raph instantly calmed down and felt some of his old anger rush back to him. The month he'd been missing, he and Suri had worked on his anger control issue. He was proud to say he was doing pretty well. Until now that is.

"Leo could be half way around the world by now." Raph hissed angrily. "Those goons operate quickly and quietly. Do you realize the second you left they could have been packing up? By the time we get there, there won't be anything. No goons, no boxes, no furs," his voice lowered, hard and cold. "No Leo."

Mikey froze. Leo could be gone? "Then what are we waiting for?" he demanded.

Splinter nodded, agreeing with the urgency to hurry. "Joey," he turned to the teen. "Will you stay here with Raphael and Suri…?"

"No, take Suri." Raph smirked as the black haired girl smiled at him, cracking her knuckles. "She can kick butt almost as well as I can."

Splinter hesitated, and then nodded. "Alright then, Joey will you stay with Raphael and Sammy? The rest of us will go and free Leonardo."

Joey gave a small bow as a sign of respect. "Yes Splinter."

"Very well then," Splinter gave a flick of his tail. "Let us depart."

As the rest of them left, Joey and Raph exchanged a grin and snickers.

"They really thought they were going to leave us here?" Raph chuckled as he started wheeling away to the elevator.

"Apparently." Joey laughed, following the turtle. Sammy rode on Raph's lap, her face lit up at the thought of seeing Raph like in his stories. She couldn't wait.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Big congratulations to 54Viruses for noticing the small clue I left in the text in the last chapter about the breed mix and how he was talking. Here's a challenge, at random I'll hide clues like that. See if you can find them! LOL**

**~raphfreak  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**This is probably the shortest chapter ever of this. Sorry, but the next chapter will be longer. **

**Enjoy please and thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl and Mike11.  
**

* * *

Leo groaned softly to himself as a world of dim lights swirled into the blackness he was currently seeing. He shook his head, straining his eyes to see a clear picture. Wherever he was, it was cold and wet.

He forced his eyes open and moaned when he saw where he was. A cage.

Thick bars surrounded him on all sides. He found the cage was too small for him to get to his feet, the farthest up he could get was on all fours, and even then, his shell scraped the top bars.

"My apologies, Leonardo." Shaun chuckled. He sat in the corner, waiting for the turtle to wake up. "The cage you are in was designed for a large wolf, not a turtle of your size. However, it was the only one uninhabited."

Leo shot him a look, along with a deep growl. "Where are my brothers?"

Shaun sighed, standing. "I'm afraid they escaped. But no matter," he waved his hand in a dismissing gesture. "I will have all four of you soon enough."

"How do you know?" Leo asked calmly. "For all you know, they could be out of state by now or in hiding."

Shaun smirked. "Did Raphael not tell you? He told us stories about you four. You made quite a team back then, battling crime and sticking to the shadows. But one thing he always told us was, "We never leave a brother behind. No matter what." So what have you to say to that now? Hmm?"

Leo ducked his head. He wished there was some way to contact his brothers and tell them to stay away. He didn't want his brothers in the hands of this guy who was out to make a silver penny.

He could see Mikey, cold, shivering, crying and alone, stuck in a tiny cage awaiting his fate. Leo knew that of all of them, Mikey would be the one who was affected the most. He relied heavily on his brothers for protection and comfort. Facing an enemy and a new world alone…Leo didn't even want to think about it.

Raph would be affected the most next. As a hothead and a rebel, he needed space and freedom, not some small area to pace in for the rest of his life. He needed to be able and do his own thing, not do whatever another wanted. Raph would go insane, if not completely mental, alone.**  
**

Don would go senseless in a cage. With nothing to fiddle with and nothing to invent…his hands needed to be constantly doing something. He would miss his brothers dearly. He would lose the two most important things to him: family and his inventions. Leo couldn't imagine his brother, genius of the family, stuck in a pen.

Leo shook his head. He had to stop thinking about things like that…they weren't helping. Leo needed his brothers, all of them, to be happy. He would rather die than see his brothers caged up and alone. Leo lived, breathed, and worked for his brothers. He trained for them. He became leader for them. What would he do without them?

"Leave them alone!" Leo screamed at the man as he lunged at the bars as best he could. He knew it was useless, but he needed to do something. He wasn't the one who would sit quietly and accept his fate. If his brothers were in danger, he would do anything, **anything,**for them.

"Now why would I do that?" Shaun knelt by the bars, running a finger down the cold steel. "You are by far the most dangerous one out of them all. Without you, they won't stand a chance." A thoughtful expression came over his face. "Perhaps I should keep you for myself. After all, I usually do save the best for me. If not, the youngest, Michelangelo would do me fine."

Leo paled. "No, you can't."

Shaun shrugged, leaning back and sitting on the floor beside Leo's cage. "Yes I can. You see, the youngest ones usually break first. I would want one that I could use and show. Raphael wouldn't work; being with him for a month as I did, I saw not a beast to be tamed, but a wild animal."

Leo broke in, his voice full of hatred towards the man. "My brother is not a wild animal." He hissed. "The only animal I see is the one murdering all these poor creatures who never did anything to you."

Shaun narrowed his eyes at the fuming blue clad turtle. "Try and talk me out of it. See how far you get. Do you think I showed any pity for the tiger who died protecting her cubs to the last breath? Do you think I showed mercy to the alpha wolf, attacking me to protect its pack? No." he chuckled. "And you think I'm going to let you out so you can protect your brothers? You think I'm going to show mercy to you because your brothers are too weak?" he shook his head. "No."

Leo felt his heart drop. His brothers…Mikey… Don…no. He couldn't let Shaun take them. He couldn't.

"Heartless monster." He whispered, looking away. He'd failed his brothers. He'd failed Master Splinter. He'd failed Raph.

He'd never gotten the chance to say he was sorry. He never got the chance to show his brother he loved him with everything he was. He would never get to show Raph how a big brother, not a leader, should really act. The last real words he told his brother was that he was a failure.

He was sorry.

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**Please review...even though this chapter was way to short.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I don't own them...honestly don't.**

**Thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl for beta reading!**

**Enjoy it please!  
**

* * *

Mikey whooped from the front seat of the Battle Shell, as it sped down the street. The window was down, since it was dark and Mikey loved feeling the wind in his face and how it made his mask float behind him.

Don was in the passenger seat, turned around and planning their strategy with the others in the back. Mikey was supposed to be listening.

"Are you listening to a word I said, Mike?" Don demanded, smacking the orange wearing turtle when he started humming 'Life is a Highway' by Rascal Flatts.

"Yes Donny." Mikey rolled his eyes, grinning when he heard the surprised yelps in the back when he took a corner too sharp. Don grabbed hold of the dashboard and the armrest on the seat, his eyes wide with panic. As soon as the van straightened out and they were flying down the road again, he heard voices yell simultaneously,

"MIKEY!!!"

And Splinter, of course,

"MICHELANGELO!!"

Don shot his youngest brother a dirty look. "Can we please focus on the task at hand?" he turned back to the others. "Anyway, as soon as we get there, Casey, April, you're going to act the part of a buyer."

Casey nodded while April frowned. "And I'm going to be doing most of the talking, correct?" she slapped her boyfriend in the stomach with one hand. "We all know what Casey will do."

Don held up a three-fingered hand as the man opened his mouth. "Yeah, that's what I was going to suggest anyway. Casey, you're going to have to keep silent and let April do the talking. Your job is to act like a hired assistant. Remember April, you're job is to act rich. Money is of no concern to you."

"Of course." She looked down at her jeans and white sleeveless shirt. "Is this fancy enough for someone whose money is of no concern?"

"Just tell them you refused to go down there in your regular clothes. Make it sound like it's a huge sacrifice for you to have to wear those clothes." Don explained. "Casey, while she's talking, you casually walk around, studying everything. Try, if you can, to knock out a few guards 'cause as soon as April gets Shaun to let Leo out of the cage, Casey, you press the button on the shell cell and alert us. We'll be just outside the door."

They all nodded in agreement while Suri studied Don. "I'm sorry, but whose name was it? Shaun?"

Tension quickly filled the van as everyone found a sudden interest in anything but the girl in front of them.

"My daughter," Splinter grasped her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Shaun, the man who led you on the streets, is the leader of this."

"What?" She stared at them in disbelief. "Shaun? No," she shook her head "He's too good for that. He wouldn't stoop that low. He cares for everyone."

"Yeah, everyone that'll pay him money." Mikey growled.

"Suri," Don nervously wrung his hands. "I know this sounds really weird and everything, but you've got to trust us. He right now has Leo captured and is planning to sell him and if we don't stop him, he'll succeed and harm more animals. He's a greedy, rotten person who cares for nothing in life but making animals suffer and making money."

Suri was silent. Could she believe them? She would believe Raph without hesitation, but them? But, why would they lie about something like that? Get everyone worked up and worried over a prank? They grew up on codes of honor, and she was pretty sure this wasn't in the book.

"I'll go in with you guys." Suri said quietly. "Cause I won't believe it unless I see it."

Splinter nodded at the wisdom of the teenager. He knew some that would believe without hesitation, some that would be confused and not speak up, and some that would abandon the whole thing because they didn't, or refused to, believe. Suri was giving them a chance to prove themselves to be trustworthy.

"Very well." He bowed to them as they hopped out the van doors. "I wish you success." He was to stay with the van and act as backup in case they needed it and to drive the van when they were ready to escape. Thank goodness the van was easier to operate than the shell cell.

"And who might you be, my dear?" Shaun said coolly, a smile plastered on his face as he went to greet April and Casey. Suri stayed outside the door with the others, waiting. April put on a fake smile as she shook the man's, a little too eager, hand.

"My name is, um, Judy. Judy Simmons. This here is my…" she was about to say 'associate' but Casey cut in instead. He saw Shaun was flirting with his girlfriend and he hated it.

"Fiancé." Casey said slyly, shaking the man's head. He smirked inwardly when he saw Shaun trying to hide his disappointment. "Me and Judy are going to be married in a week and I promised her she could pick out her wedding gift."

Outside, Don groaned. Leave it to Casey to change the whole, nice and _detailed_ story.

"A wedding gift, you say?" Shaun raised an eyebrow. "Might I interest you in some furs or coats? Or perhaps some scarves? We also have a wide selection of jewelry made from animal bones, teeth, and even some fur. We have true leather purses I can order for you if you like."

April stepped in front of Casey, putting on the spoiled wife act. "No, no. I wanted something rare and alive. Money is of no concern." she waved her hand. "Do you mind if we look around? I would like to see all."

"Of course." Shaun started on one end, showing her wild animals such as tigers, snakes, wolves, birds, and rare insects. He also tried to get her interested in the furs again, but she pointedly refused. Again.

"I am interested in that large turtle over there." she pointed out Leo, her heart racing when she saw his eyes widen. _Don't say anything_!

"The turtle?" Shaun led April over, not noticing Casey slipping away to take care of some guards he spotted near the door.

Leo was stunned when he saw April and Casey walk through the doors. He knew that his brothers were on the other side, waiting to spring in. But he also knew he had to act like he'd never seen April before and treat her like he was preparing to treat any other buyer.

"This is a rare turtle we recently captured in Canada." Shaun lied, halting outside the cage. "He is one of four in the world that we are currently aware off."

April sniffed, raising her eyebrows as if she was seriously considering it. "This is a hard choice. I was particularly interested in the tiger or the wolf, but now that I've seen the turtle, I would have to decide between the three of them. Hmm." She furrowed her eyebrows as if in deep thought. "I'm afraid I will have to take the tiger out; I already own two of them."

"Really?!" Shaun looked impressed.

"And the wolf is a female?" Shaun nodded. "I already own eight female wolves so I would like the turtle." She straightened her shoulders, her eyes showing her mind was made up. "Yes, the turtle."

Shaun looked a bit hesitant. "The price is steep." He warned.

April smiled. "Can you not remove him from the cage so I can view him better?" At his hesitance, she put on a sweet smile. "I will be sure to pay a few thousand extra."

Shaun sighed. "Alright." He led her to the cage and opened the door. Leo hesitantly stepped out, baring his teeth at April. April seemed unfazed, simply walked around him, muttering to herself, stalling for time.

"AHHH!" The door burst open as Suri, Don and Mikey all poured into the room, weapons flashing and ready.

Shaun gave a grin at their arrival. "Guards!" he called out as he waited for the turtles to be surrounded by dart guns. Nothing. "Guards!"

"Not comin', dude." Mikey snickered, stepping forward. "Ya okay bro?"

Leo rushed to his family's side, almost weak with relief. "Now I am." He gratefully took a pair of katanas from Mikey and gave them a few swings. They gave a sharp whistle, proving their sharpness. "Give up, Shaun."

Suri stood behind Don, her eyes watering as she watched the man she called father, the man who'd raised her and taught her to live on the streets, the man who graciously welcomed her and Sammy with open arms. Shaun spotted her and his face dropped.

"Suri," he wrung his hands. "What are you doing here?"

"Me?" she scoffed. "You know they're Raph's brothers and here you are trying to sell them?" Her voice rose. "How could you?!"

Shaun sighed. "Suri, I'd hoped not to get any of my family involved in this but -"

"Family?" she screeched. "You call me your family? After this?"

Shaun sighed, lowering his hands. "If you're not with me," he hissed. "Then you're against me. I'm sorry to say that unlike those green freaks of yours, you're of no use to me. A thorn in my side if you will." His hand moved in a quick sweeping motion, removing a black revolver from his holder on his belt. Suri took a quick step back, hiding slightly behind Mikey, who stepped in front of the girl while Leo sheltered April and Casey.

Shaun suddenly smirked as the door behind them opened and dozens of more hired men flooded the room. Leo held his swords before him, while Don gave his Bo a few snaps back and forth. Casey produced from beneath his large winter coat a heavy-duty metal baseball bat.

"Seems the Calvary has arrived." He gave them a leering grin. "It would be wise to step away now and maybe I'll let those human friends of yours go."

Leo didn't budge. His mind was clear and focused as he stared at the guns trained on them. Some were tranquilizer guns like those that had shot him down before, while others were real guns that shot out bullets. He was so focused on Shaun he failed to notice the guard sneaking behind Mikey, grabbing Suri.

She let out a scream of fear as the man pulled her to his chest and held a gun to her head. With small steps, eyes covered by sunglasses, he made his way slowly towards Shaun. Quickly they traded, and Shaun had one muscular arm wrapped around Suri's throat and the same gun pointed to her head.

"I'll give ya'll ta the count of three. One."

Nobody budged.

"Two."

Leo prepared himself for a hopeless leap. He knew he could make it to Suri in enough time to shield her from the bullet, but not enough time for him to move. He just prayed the others would make it out in time.

"Three!" he cocked the gun as his finger tightened. Suri closed her eyes tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A voice hissed, low and angry, from the shadows.

Shaun stiffened, hurriedly dropping the gun from numb fingers and raising both hands. A green hand supported the red-wrapped weapon as a thin line of steel was placed across his throat.

* * *

**Please review and let know what you thought of the chapter!**

**~raphfreak  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl for beta reading. **

**The characters don't belong to me, but the OC's do.  
**

* * *

"Raph!" Mikey screamed.

Suri gratefully closer her eyes, relaxing in the turtle's strong grip that now supported her. Tears of joy and relief streamed down her face. She was safe.

"How did – " Leo started. Raph was still in the wheelchair, but he used one arm to hoist his whole body up so he was even with Shaun and able to allow his sai to meet flesh.

"Later bro." Raph growled, not bringing his eyes to meet Leo's questioning ones. "First I got ta teach some goons a lesson bout threatening my friends and family."

The turtle family sprung into action, weapons once again slashing the limbs and body parts of unfortunate humans, and dodging tranquilizers. Leo did a quick spin kick; bringing down three men about to surround him. Don put himself between April and the threat, his Bo spinning in a fluid motion between his fingers.

Mikey slowly, but surely, made his way to Raph's side, chucks knocking down men left and right. Raph, amazingly, was holding his own in the wheelchair, using one hand for his sai and the other to steer. The chair swung back and forth on its wheels, its metal glint and rubber handles and wheels now becoming bloodstained.

"Ya okay bro?" Raph called out, glancing at his brother while thrusting his sai into the throat of approaching man. Blood gushed from the wound as the victim sank to the floor and another took his place, just to meet the same fate.

"Yeah," Mikey laughed as he stepped aside, causing two of the goons to crash into each other, knocking each other out. Raph winced as he heard the sound of one human skull meeting another. "You?"

Raph chuckled, spinning his chair, amazingly keeping his broken leg out of harm's way. "I've never had more of a challenge kicking butt!"

"Don's gonna kill ya." Mikey warned, unleashing a powerful kick that broke the jawbone of the target. "If these guys don't get to ya first."

"Which do ya think I'll have a better chance with?" Raph joked.

Mikey paused a split second to rub his head, pretending to think hard. "Uh…with the look Don was giving you – the goons." He got back into motion as quickly as he dropped it. "I thought you would worry about Leo's lecture more."

Raph said nothing, only slicing his sai into another person.

"Raph?" Mikey worriedly looked over at his brother.

"Who said I was sticking around long enough to have that lecture?" Raph growled out.

The youngest turtle stopped, whirling around to stare at his brother in shock. "But…I thought you were back for good. You were gonna stay forever!"

"Nothing's forever Mikey." Raph sighed. "I'm going to stay long enough for Donny to patch me up then I'm out of here. Me, Suri, Joey and Sammy are all gonna head out again, look for a new place to stay alone. We're gonna be our own family, not a huge group of homeless looking for a roof and protection."

Mikey brought his chucks down hard on the last of the enemy's heads. He quickly glanced around, making sure everyone was okay and not down; Leo, Don, April and Casey, Suri and Joey. Everyone was there, standing, bruised and a bit battered, but alive. Then he directed his attention back on his brother. His wounds stung as blood lazily dripped down his arm from a cut, but the words of Raph stung like a thousand bees, except there was no medicine that could fix this pain.

"But Raph." He whimpered. He heard the footsteps of his family and friends come up behind him, but he didn't turn around. All his thoughts were on his brother before him. "You can't leave me again."

"Who's gonna leave again?" Don asked, his gaze traveling from Mikey to Raph.

"Raph is leaving…again." Mikey told them. Raph hung his head, as everyone got quiet and stared at the red clad turtle.

"You're leaving, Raph?" April whispered, clutching Casey. The man hugged the shaking redhead to his chest, one muscular arm wrapped around her slim shoulders.

Raph looked up at the group. "Yes. It was nice to see you all again but I've got to move on. Suri, Joey, Sammy and I are all gonna head out again. Find a new place, maybe somewhere in New Jersey." His gaze traveled on all of them, landing on Leo. The leader stared at his younger brother, unflinching, although on the inside he was breaking.

Not again.

"Are you sure about this bro?" Don asked hesitantly. There was nothing they could do to stop him.

"I'm sure Don." He gave his brother a grin. "I'll even let you have a quick check up before I leave, okay?"

Don relaxed slightly. At least he wasn't going to just up and leave with no warning. "Okay, but we need to head back to the lair. Sammy is waiting with Master Splinter in the van."

Together as a group they left the underground room. Suri stayed beside Raph, watching for anything that could jar his leg that had escaped the fight with only a few bumps. Raph wheeled along, pointedly ignoring Mikey's sniffles, Leo unusual silence, and Don's constant muttering to himself.

April was still tucked in close to Casey. This wasn't the first time she'd fought side-by-side with the turtles, or the first rescue mission she'd helped complete. But it would be the first time she'd come so close to losing one of the guys. If it had been any other person in there before her and Casey, or if they'd already packed up and left…Leo would be gone without so much as a clue or a remain.

Casey kept his arm around his girlfriend, not only to comfort her, but for himself. His best friend was leaving him, bound for who knows where. They may never see him again. Raph wasn't the one for visits or letters…when he was gone, he was gone. And that was the end of it.

Leo walked by Mikey, shooting his brother sympathetic looks. One of the hardest things about being a leader was not showing any emotion, but staying strong for the others. It would be up to him to fill in Raph's missing piece of their lives. It would be him filling in the muscle that Raph brought to the team and clan. Everything would rest on him. That was one of the consequences of being a leader; filling in every missing piece of the puzzle.

* * *

"My sons." Splinter greeted the group warmly as they all clambered into the van. Leo sat up front and drove, Joey beside him. Splinter started to hand out bandages, snacks, and canteens of water. "Are you alright, Leonardo?" Splinter asked, laying a furry hand on his eldest shoulder.

"Yes, father." Leo kept his eyes on the road.

"They didn't harm you?" Splinter twitched an ear at his son. Leo wasn't usually the one who gave his father brief one or two word answers.

"No father."

Splinter's eyebrow rose. "Joey, please take the wheel from Leonardo." Joey did as the elderly rat asked, quickly switching seats with the turtle. Leo then turned and faced Splinter.

"Yes father?"

"Leonardo, what happened in there?" Splinter desperately wanted his children to share their thoughts and feelings with him; he knew not only because it was unhealthy for them to bottle everything up, but also because he cared for them greatly.

"Nothing master." Leo bowed, consciously aware of the others' eyes piercing him. "Nothing happened inside. I wasn't harmed in anyway. He didn't lay one finger on me."

"Leonardo, I'm not only talking physical."

"Nothing happened." Leo tried to stress the words.

Splinter sighed, stroking his chin fur. "We will discuss this in the comfort of home."

"Hai, sensei." Leo clapped his hands together, bowing. He did it out of respect, (if he didn't, everyone would really suspect something was wrong if he wasn't respectful to Splinter) and because he wanted everyone to stop looking at him. Normally he didn't feel uncomfortable under his brothers' and friends' gaze, but…he just wanted to get away from it all. Because…he had a secret.

He had a secret he would never share. Not with his brothers, not with his father, not with April, Casey or Leatherhead.

He had never really experienced being bought and sold as property. Sure, he'd been captured by Shredder, put through unimaginable tortures to reveal information he'd die before letting him know, and been even captured by Bishop, about to be dissected. But one thing he knew was the pain would only last so long – Shredder would kill him or his brothers would rescue him. With Bishop he'd be dissected within a day; but those tortures would last a short while until he was dead or rescued.

If he'd been sold, and at the amount Shaun was going to sell him, he would've been well taken care of. He would've lived.

Alone.

For the rest of his life, he would've lived alone.

Death seemed too pleasant to him.

He would rather die and walk with his brothers as a spirit, than be sold and taken care of 'til he died, never to see his family again until they joined him on the other side.

Only those who were weak wished for death.

Only those who were weak wished never to be alone.

And if weakness was death over isolation, if Leo wished to die than spend his final days alone, then he was weak.

And a leader couldn't be weak.

* * *

Arriving home, Leo allowed his family to go inside. Splinter wanted to have their talk in the sewers where they would be alone and uninterrupted.

"So, my son?" Splinter asked casually. "Did you really think you could fool me? Am I just a foolish old rat to you?"

"No sensei!" Leo protested. "You're wise and sensible; a skilled and worthy opponent; you're a wonderful father figure to us all."

"Is that all?" Splinter raised an eyebrow. "Come Leonardo, I know I taught you better than that. A ninja is brave, worthy, honorable, courageous, and merciful. A ninja takes credit for nothing, becoming one with the shadows. A ninja sees everything that goes on around him, every movement, and every face. A ninja is a devoted warrior; dedicated to the art of Bushido. Tell me Leonardo, are you all that? Brave and courageous, while merciful and honorable?"

"I try to be sensei." Leo admitted. "I try to be loyal to you, not only as my master, but as my father. I try not to kill in battle, unless there is no other option. I do train every day, focusing and meditating."

"Tell me Leonardo, do you fear anything?" Splinter continued walking, his tail stirring up light dust.

"Not anymore sensei."

"Did you?"

Leo frowned. "Yes master, you helped me overcome my fear, remember?"

"I do my son." Splinter chuckled. "I do. Now tell me, did you still train to be a ninja even when you feared heights?"

"Yes. Ninja training along with your skills helped me overcome that fear." Leo said. "Why?"

"Leonardo," Splinter turned to face the blue clad turtle. His brown eyes starred into the ones hidden behind the mask. "You say you are a ninja. You say you fear nothing. I believe you are a ninja, a great and skilled one at that, however, you do fear something."

Leo froze, focusing on the sewer water. "What makes you say that sensei? I'm a leader and a ninja. I don't fear anything; my fear could get my family killed."

"Ah, my son. Are you sure your fear does not make you stronger?"

"Stronger?" Leo asked with disbelief in his voice.

"If you didn't fear for your family's safety, would you train as hard as you do? Your fear for their well-being has done nothing but make you a better ninja and a better leader."

"If I was a good leader, I never would have gotten into fights with Raph." Leo growled. "I…I just hate being weak."

"Weakness is not something to hate Leonardo. Weakness is simply realizing that we are not perfect and it makes us aware of the things we must work on to become stronger. Weakness is a reminder." He laid his hand on his son's shoulder. "Oh Leonardo, if only you could see that."

"But Raph's leaving…again!" Leo protested, holding his head in his hands. "I've failed as a leader and as a brother."

"Has Raphael walked out the door yet?" Splinter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No."

"Has he arrived in his new home yet?"

"No."

"Then there is still time." Splinter told him firmly. "Even the worst injuries fade into scars of the past. Nobody is asking you to be flawless Leonardo. Nobody is telling you to be the perfect leader or brother or son. However, we are telling you to be the best that you can be. Not your brothers, not your friends, not I ask anymore of you."

"Then there's still time?" Leo didn't dare to hope. "There's still time to ask for Raph's forgiveness?"

"There is always time, my son. It's what we do in that time that is up to you."

"Thank you, sensei." Leo told him sincerely, bowing as low as he could.

"Go." Splinter waved him off with his hand.

Leo needed no further urging. Spinning on his heels, he rushed back the direction they came. His heart pounded in time to his steps, his mask flying behind him, his strength pushed to their limits.

_There's always time._

"There's always time," Leo repeated determinedly. "I let my brother go once; I'm not going to let go again."

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was more of a fatherly/son moment. Please let me know if you're still reading - reviews are needed and wanted ^_^**

**thanks,**

**~raphfreak  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks so much everyone who has reviewed! This is my first story where I have reached over 100 reviews! You guys rock! Thanks so much. Also a big thank you too Raph's No. 1 Girl and Mike11.**

**All OC's belong to me but original TMNT don't.**

** This is a Raph and Don chapter so I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"OWWW!" Raph screeched, his hands gripping the metal table edges, teeth clenched. "Dang Donnie, did ya have to hit right there?"

Don frowned. "I did not hit. I merely poked it gently to see if you still have feeling in the leg and you didn't lose the use of this leg." He began to tightly wrap the swollen limb. "That was a foolish thing you did back there; you could've been killed."

Raph gave him a smug grin through gritted teeth. "But I didn't."

Don gave an angry jerk at the last piece, causing the turtle to wince in pain. "That's not the point. You shouldn't have even left the lair. But you did and you went into battle. Man, Raph, you're in a wheelchair for heaven's sake!"

"What now? Leo's not here to lecture me so you feel the need too?" Raph rolled his eyes. "Jeez, and here I thought letting you do this was a good thing."

"It was, Raph." Don stood up, reaching for a needle and thread that rested on his desk by the metal table. "You tore some stitches and it's hard to stitch yourself up." He poked the thread through the eye of the needle. "Ya know," he started quietly as he dug the needle into Raph's skin. Raph gasped at the sudden pain, tightening all this muscles. "Leo still loves and cares for you. He was heartbroken when you left, training harder than ever I've seen him do for a while. He blamed it all on himself, and for once the blame did rest with him, but also with us." He let out a sigh and he voice softened. "With me."

"Donnie?" Raph asked. He stared hard at his brother, surprised to see tears running down his cheeks. And he wasn't even the one in pain either. "Whaddya mean, 'with me'?"

Don let out a sigh as he tied the knot firmly. Standing, he faced his confused brother. "Raph, I…I want to apologize."

Raph raised an eyebrow. "Fer what?"

Don groaned inwardly. Why couldn't life be as simple as a computer? You type in a few codes and it runs smoothly. In life, you punch in a few and you hit speed bumps, potholes, and roadblocks every step of the way. Then after you manage to get around those, there's the biggest challenge at the end that makes all the smaller ones seem like not such a big deal.

Don pulled a chair up beside the wheelchair. Sitting down in it, he put his face in his hands with a sigh. "Raph, I don't even know where to begin." He choked out.

Raph laid a comforting hand on his shell. "Well, the beginning is where most people start."

Don removed his hands, staring at the floor. "My whole life down here with you guys, I've been know as the smart one; the genius. Well, I've been thinking a lot, more than usual, and not about inventions." He paused.

"What were ya thinking about?" Raph urged.

"Our relationship as brothers." Don whispered painfully. "As a family."

Don never knew Raph to react to slowly. Usually the turtle never hesitated, just jumped into whatever with both feet, without thinking of the consequences later on. Now, his face was still in…shock maybe, with hints of confusion on the edges. But as realization started to settle in, his face turned soft with grief.

Don never usually cried around his brothers; unlike Mikey who expressed his emotions openly with no shame, or Raph who took out everything, every hurt, every grief, anger and loss of the day, on his punching bag, while Leo hid everything deep inside his heart and threw away the key. Nobody could open Leo up without hard and desperate searching for the key, the simple words, that would unlock everything.

But Don always kept his feelings bottled up. While he didn't hide them away like Leo, he once in awhile allowed his feelings to let loose, the tears, in private. On a rare occasion, Leo would catch him and Don would cry on his shoulder, always grateful beyond words at the eldest turtle that took on so many sacrifices so they could enjoy life best they could.

But Raph…Don never imagined himself telling Raph his feelings, his heart's words that were so desperately trying to be heard. He could see him telling Leo, Master Splinter, and even Mikey, but never Raph. Raph would be the one who told him to suck it up; to deal with life 'cause it wasn't going to change, no matter how long you grieved or how many tears were shed for what could have been, and what wasn't.

"Don," Raph began hesitantly, "I never…I never thought…I mean – I didn't mean for _you_…" the words were stressed and he babbled on, hoping that the right words would come tumbling out of his mouth.

Don put one thick finger against his brother's beak to silence him. "No Raph, I'm the one who needs to do the talking." He removed his finger as Raph quieted down, staring at him expectantly.

"Raph I've been the biggest jerk ever." He began quietly. "When you left, I was trying to push it all aside. I was thinking that you'd be back; I was always in the lab anyway, I never really noticed you except on patrols, training, dinner… anyway, I realized that I was one of the reasons you left." Tears gently rolled down his cheeks. "I never really saw you trying to spend time with me…I just saw you as another nuisance who had nothing better to do than bother me. I was so caught up in my work, my inventions, that every time you came into the room, I snapped. I never really thought that that would be a way for you to be…with me." His voice lowered.

Raph watched his brother carefully with steel eyes. He'd never seen Don this choked up about anything. Ever.

"I shoved you away…I was thoughtless, careless, and I just didn't think…and here I was supposed to be the smart one." He managed a brave smile through his tears, before staring at his brother. "I'm so sorry Raph."

"Don, I – " Raph began before Don silenced him again. Raph scowled.

"I don't want your forgiveness," he whispered painfully. "Please…Please let me earn it back. I hurt you for too long for this to be solved in a few words. Please…"

Raph heaved a sigh as he opened his arms out to his brother. Don collapsed in his arms, clutching him like a life preserver. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his face into his brother's shoulder as he bawled. His arms wrapped tightly around him, ignoring the scrapes of his arms against Raph's rough shell.

"Shh, Don…it's okay. Everything will be okay." Raph murmured gently, rocking his brother best he could. Don just clung to him harder, muttering something unintelligible.

"What bro?"

"I said I don't want you to leave." He said softly, his voice softer than usual.

"I gotta bro, to keep everyone safe. I can't do anything to harm you guys if I'm nowhere near you. Besides, Splinter said it himself - he thinks I'm…I'm a monster." He hung his head.

Don jerked back, his teary eyes blazing. "Don't you ever say that," He hissed. "Don't ever say that. Splinter doesn't think you're a monster or a freak. He never has and he never will."

"But what he said before…" Raph objected, meeting his brother's blazing eyes with his own. "He said he created the monster; I can't go back there, Don. I just can't…"

"Raph," Don said quietly. "Do you believe it when Hun calls you a freak?"

"No." Raph frowned.

"But he believes it." Don continued. "You're only a monster if you believe it yourself. Words are empty, meaningless, unless the victim truly believes the words; then they affect you. Words are nothing but sounds that can have meaning and purpose, but only if you listen and believe that they are."

"What are ya saying Don?"

"I'm saying you're only a monster if you think you are." Don told him. "Raph, no matter what anyone says, you're you…no matter what. Only you can change you. If you believe you're a monster, then you are. But if you don't believe it…"

"Then I'm not." Raph sighed, staring at his hands. "But, Splinter said…he called me…" he choked up.

"Master Splinter can call Leo the perfect son, but he's not." Don growled. "Master Splinter can call Mikey immature, but we all know Mikey can be…um…intelligent when he chooses to be. You can call me smart, but really," he shrugged. "I know nothing compared to some people. If I let everyone tell me who I am and who I should be and how I should act, then I'm not myself." He laid a hand on Raph's shoulder.

Their eyes met.

"Raph," He said sincerely. "No matter what you choose, no matter what anyone says – you're my brother. You can be a little wild and reckless but that just makes you who you are. And I love you nonetheless. I know Mikey feels the same, as does Leo."

Raph closed his eyes. "I…I…sometimes, when I was with the others, I did think about you guys. I missed you, but I thought what I was doing was for the best – for everyone."

"See Raph?" Don chuckled. "Even though you were mad, when you went away you did it because of the family."

Raph's eyes lit up as he processed the new information. Don stared at his brother, his brain scrambling for an answer. He looked somewhat nervous and…relieved? Don wasn't sure what was going through the turtle's mind…there was too much pain and happiness, guilt and remorse all at the same time. Was it possible to feel all those emotions all at once?

"Raph, please stay." Don begged. Raph didn't move. "I n-need you bro; all my life I've taken our relationship as brothers for granted. But now – now that it all might be taken away – I realize how much we need you." He voice got quiet again. "I need you."

Raph looked away. His voice was broken. "I can't." he admitted finally. "I-I just need to be away – to be on my own with people I'd never hurt."

"You'd never hurt us Raph." Don protested.

"Mikey and the pipe; Leo and Winter's tower with the monster, I got him captured that day. And if it hadn't been for Leo's quick reactions, I could've killed Mikey, Don!" he spun around, eyes flashing. "Do you know how hard that is?" he hissed through his tears. "To be around people that every time you look at them, you're reminded that you could've killed them! Do you have any idea how hard it was to talk to, let alone fight Mikey, after I almost clobbered him with that pipe!" Raph was nearly screaming now, his voice rough and hoarse. "Do you?"

"No Raph, I don't see it that way." Don rested a hand on his angered brother's shoulder. "But think about everything I've created that could've killed you guys."

"What?"

"Your motorcycle, Raph," Don started out. "One mistake, one thing too loose, and you could wind up in an accident and in a lab within an hour. The hover-board Mikey loves; I could've miscalculated it all - the second it started up, it could've blown up! All the electricity in the house, every hook-up, everything in that department could be a bomb. One flick of the switch and boom! Do you know how hard that is?"

Raph turned away. "Don, but those would have been accidents; something that you never could have known would happen. I'm a loose cannon, a bomb. I explode at the simplest things and…and every time I do, I always regret it afterwards. You see Don, what you do helps us; what does my gift have?" he let out a sigh. "You'll never understand Donnie, never."

"I know." Don replied simply. "But I want to help you through them. You've always been the black sheep, the wild heart if you will. It seemed that anything we tried to do, we'd get shoved away more. You've always been so tough, I feel so stupid to just realize it now."

"Sometimes it's too late to change stuff like that Don." Raph whispered, unlocking his wheels and starting to wheel away. "I'm too much of a threat to you guys…I'm…I'm sorry."

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**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**This is a painfully short chapter. But I want to thank all of you for your reviews so far - they are greatly appreciated!**

**Thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl and Mike11!**

**enjoy  
**

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"It's not fair!" Mikey growled angrily, throwing a punch at the swinging bag before him. All over the filled cloth were patches from swords, sais and anything else that got thrown its way. Like fists.

The bag rocked, swinging dizzily back and forth as the youngest turtle set it upon himself to make the bag pay.

For what?

He really wasn't sure but somebody had to take the blame.

"AHHH!" he screamed as he let loose another deadly punch that almost sent the bag off the hook it was currently swinging intensely on.

This wasn't fair.

_Punch._

They saved Raph's life; they healed him -

_Punch._

And he goes and runs away again.

_Punch, Punch._

And what does he do after they saved his butt again?

_Punch, Punch, Punch._

He up and announces that he's leaving…. again!

"Ya okay in there bro?"

Mikey paused in mid swing, shooting a glance over his shoulder. He really didn't understand why he bothered to look; the annoying squeak of the wheels as they rolled across the stone and heavy breathing of the wheeler told him who it was.

"Why do you care?" he growled softly as he sent another punch in the poor bag's direction. He heard the heavy sigh of his brother and a smirk played on his face. Why did he care how he was feeling? He was just going to leave…

"Mikey, man, you're my little bro." Raph wheeled into the room and in front of the frustrated orange wearing ninja. "I do care."

"Sure ya do." Mikey snorted sarcastically. "That's why you're gonna up and leave us," Mikey hit it again and Raph secretly admired the strength behind each punch. "Like you did the first time and you're not gonna come back."

"I'll visit you guys." Raph protested.

"Sure," Mikey growled, whirling around to face him. "What, every five or six years? Or whenever you get around to it?"

Raph was silent as he listened to his babbling. This was why he'd left.

"Mikey, bro just stop and listen to me for a sec." Mikey paused, scowling angrily as he waited for Raph to talk so he could go on. He still had to finish his speech.

"K, bro do you still have that letter I wrote to you; before I left?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember what it said?"

Mikey hesitated. "Yes."

"No matter what Mikey, no matter how far I'm away, or how long I'm gone, you and me as brothers will always stay the same. Always."

Mikey sighed, lowering his bruised hands. He loved Raph would every ounce of himself and would die for him without a second thought but right now he could think of every other place he'd rather be than here with Raph. He turned away, squaring his shoulders. "You're willing to walk out on everything you are: a ninja, a part of this family, a friend, and a brother. You say all of that means everything to you…you say you still love us." He shot a death glare over his shoulder. "You're no better than the Shredder." He hissed, instantly regretting the words. But there was no going back. "He claims to be a ninja, but in order to be that you must have honor. He is nothing but a lie…what does that make you then…_brother_?"

Raph's shoulders slumped. He'd never _ever_ expect Mikey to compare him to Shredder. That was like being compared to the devil himself.

"I'm sorry Mikey." He murmured as he turned and left the room.

Suri was leaning against the doorframe, her slim build and dark clothing and hair blending her with the shadows. Her blue eyes gleamed.

_This was going to perfect and soon…it would all be complete._

_

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_

**The action is far from over! Please review and let me know what you think.**

**~raphfreak  
**


	26. Chapter 26

**Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl for beta reading.**

**Before I go on, Simone Robinson on FF is having a contest on Deviant Art for her fic, Missing Fire. Please be sure and check it out! There is a link on her page.  
**

* * *

"Suri?" Raph stuck his head into the girl's room. The bedside clock beside her gleamed with the red numbers, 2:05. "What are you still doing up?"

Suri glanced up, her eyes wide and her black hair swinging over her shoulders. "Raph," she put a hand to her chest. "You startled me there."

"Sorry." Raph limped into the room. Suri's eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Where is your wheelchair, young man?" she scowled.

Raph shrugged his shoulders as he used the wall to support him. His leg was still tightly wrapped all in white. "I ditched it somewhere downstairs." He sat down on the bed and Suri placed herself next to him. "I had to talk to you." He admitted. "Alone."

Suri leaned against the bedpost, hugging a pillow to her chest. "What about?"

"How do you feel about New Jersey?" he asked with a tired smile.

She shrugged. "Why?"

Raph sighed as he held his head in his hands. "I need to leave…soon. This is all getting to me."

Suri reached over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Why? What happened?"

Raph explained in a tired tone his conversations with Don and Mikey and how his little brother compared him to Shredder, their enemy. Suri sighed as she slowly shook her head.

"I really didn't want to tell you this…" she paused and lowered her eyes to the floor.

"What?" Raph sat up straighter and grabbed her shoulder. "What?"

"Your brothers…" she admitted sheepishly as she rubbed her head. "I wasn't supposed to hear any of it. I went upstairs 'cause I forgot my, uh, I mean to, uh, brush my teeth." She nodded. "Yeah, I forgot to brush my teeth." She blushed. "Anyway, I heard them all talking." Her voice lowered. "They want to…to…to turn you in to Shredder."

"What!" Raph reeled back as though he'd been slapped. First Mikey comparing him to Shredder, and now them talking about Shredder…

"It's true." She sniffed and nodded her head. "You're a hindrance to your family, a liability, and they say all they ever do for you is save your sorry butt. You're nothing but a problem and they say that now…since you're weak…" her voice trailed off as she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Raph swallowed thickly as he embraced her in a hug. His brothers wanted to turn him into Shredder…since when? Since when did they start thinking of him like that? He was so confused.

Donnie had said he was sorry and that he wanted to be a better brother to him. Was it all a joke? A prank? A lie?

"So what do we do?" Suri asked through her tears.

Raph swallowed thickly. "Nothing – for now. We play it dumb and wait for the right moment. The condition I'm in, they won't let me out of their sights until I'm better, or at least until the leg is healed."

"What if they want to turn you in when you're still weak?" she asked. "If we wait it might be too late."

"I know, but we have no choice." Raph argued. "As much as I hate to admit it, I'm in no condition to travel. I want out of here as much as possible but I'd be no use to you if I can't walk."

Suri just sighed, lowering her eyes to the floor. "Okay Raph. We'll wait. But if anything happens, we won't have a choice."

"I know that." Raph said as his heart pounded painfully. "We'll just have to wait…and see what happens." He opened his arms and Suri gratefully crawled into his arms, enjoying the warmth his body gave and the feeling of muscular arms wrapped around her small frame. He was so perfect…strong. How could anyone so beautiful in heart be so…different, in body?

As her eyes fell closed, she remembered. She was the opposite of the turtle…beautiful in body, black in heart.

She had a job to do and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

"Raphael?" Splinter gently knocked on the wooden door of the makeshift room that they'd made for Raphael, since he was in no condition to use stairs.

"Come in." a tired voice called from the other side.

Splinter turned the knob and let himself into the dark room, noting all the lights were out. His son's large form was on the bed, completely covered by a blanket. His red mask was lying on the small beside table.

"Are you alright, my son?" Splinter asked as he laid a furry hand where he thought his son's shell was, the surface hard and rounded.

"Yeah." Came the muffled reply, the blankets shifting.

Splinter sighed, and twitched his whiskers. Raphael was awfully quiet these last few days. He hadn't bothered bossing Michelangelo or Leonardo around, though they volunteered readily. It seemed he even shied away from quiet Donatello, though Splinter could tell he felt unusual anger towards his purple and orange clad sons.

"Raphael, I ask you to look at me."

There was more shifting blankets as tired red eyes poked out from the top.

Raph sighed as he looked at his sensei. "What?" He just wanted to sleep…to be left alone.

"Raphael, I've felt unusual anger towards your younger brothers." Splinter saw his amber eyes flare in recognition. "Do you want to share with me?"

"No." He ducked his head back under the blanket. Splinter sighed. "My son, I wish you would not shy away from us. We only wish to help you heal…physically and mentally."

"Whatever." Came the muffled reply.

Splinter felt a string on his heart tug as he settled himself beside the turtle's bed. "My son, if nothing else please listen." He removed his hand from his son's shell. "I am old and will not be around forever. Ever since you were little, I saw a burning heart in you."

Raph stiffened under the covers. _Here we go again_.

"But it was not just burning to give you rage, but passion towards your family." Splinter went on. "Ever since you were little, you had an obsession to keep everyone safe. You may not remember, but when you were little you and Don were playing alone in a part of the sewers I had forbidden any of you from going into. You were young, maybe five or six." He smiled. "I remember Donatello coming up to me when you were young and telling me how much he wanted to be like Raphie. Michelangelo was the same way…they looked up to you, you know."

"Anyway, you two were playing and you wanted a race. Donatello was never the fastest out of all of you, but he was determined. He agreed and in the middle of the race, he slipped and fell into the water. You dove in and saved him, Raphael." He saw the blankets stir under his words. "You carried his limp form all the way home and took care of him until he was better. I recall you hovering over him for the better part of a month to make sure he was okay. You panicked every time he wanted to go into the sewers." He shook his head with a smile.

"I honestly thought you two would be the closest, but then Don started to get mad at you hovering over him constantly and told you to go away. You were heartbroken…oh my son." Splinter started to rub Raph's shell again. "I remember clear as day what you told me two months later on the same day you brought him home. You said, 'The only thing I would change about that day was the tools I brought along to save Donnie.' He didn't mention the yelling, the accident, or him telling you to go away. You loved your brothers so much back then Raphael, what is stopping you from loving them that much now?"

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**Please review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Sorry, another short chapter. I've been busy with my other ones but wanted to get this up. Next chap will be longer ^_^ thanks to Raph's No. 1 Girl. Enjoy!**

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Somewhere in uptown New York

"No sir," The shadow swayed uneasily from the shadows of the alley. A phone was pressed firmly to the ear. "I told you already sir…he's stronger than he looks. They all are." The figure let out a sigh. "Yes sir…no, he suspects nothing, none of them do…what…. sir you want me to…how much…just for one…no sir…yes sir, she is getting worse…no sir, not much longer…yes sir, he should be easy to take down…yes, bring the extra strong cage…no sir…shackles would work…yes, the youngest…same age…sai, katana, Bo, and nunchucks…a type of sword sir…yes wood…no very good." The figure nodded a few times. "Yes sir I have seen them in action myself…no sir." another uneasy sighs. "As you wish." With a shake of the head, the shadow snapped the phone shut with a soft click.

* * *

"Guys, we need to talk." Don shut his lab doors, turning to older and younger brother. Mikey had both arms crossed and a scowl on his face while Leo looked on nervously at the genius.

"What?" Mikey asked.

Don sighed, rubbing a hand over his domed head. "Guys, has Raph been…different to you? You know, acting different?"

"Um Don," Leo stared at his brother, wondering if he'd finally lost it. "He's been missing for two months, and when we finally get him back it's because he's injured. I don't think he's very happy to be here, if you know what I mean."

"That's not what I meant Leo." Don snapped. He felt a stab of guilt as Leo flinched at his words. "Sorry bro, it's just that I talked with him and, well, we understand each other now."

Mikey visibly winced when Don mentioned him talking with Raph.

"Bro? Is there something you want to say?" Leo asked, also noticing Mike's movement.

"No!" Mikey answered quickly. "I mean…what I meant was…oh boy." He sighed as he lowered his head into both hands.

"Mike." Don urged as he laid a hand on his youngest brother's shell. "What happened?"

"I kinda blew up at Raph." Mikey admitted softly into his hands, his voice mumbled.

"You what!" Don yelled.

Mikey pulled back and raised his head, looking at Don with tearing blue eyes. "I t-told him he was like Shredder." He said softly.

The lab got quiet as Don stared at him in shock and anger while Leo just looked thoughtfully at Mike, wondering what else had happened and what words had spurred Mikey to compare Raph to Shredder.

"Why did you do that Mikey?" Leo asked gently while Don smashed his fist against the lab wall. The shelves quivered under the harsh blow.

Mikey started crying. "I was just mad at him – he was saying that he was a brother but he wasn't acting like it and I just got so mad…" he sobbed. "I made a mistake didn't I?" he looked at Leo, who could only nod sadly. "I thought so." He looked down at his hands, tears still running down his green face.

"It can be fixed Mike." Leo said gently, watching as Don also turned to stare at him.

"How?" Mike asked through tears.

"Through love, patience," Leo stood. "And forgiveness."

"Love." Don scoffed. "Mike's right…how can we love someone who shows nothing but anger towards us?"

"Because he's our brother." Leo answered in a quiet, determined voice. "I made him a promise that I wouldn't give up on him…and I won't. I made you guys a promise to bring him home and until his heart is here as well, my job is not done."

* * *

From outside the other side of the door, Suri listened with a frown on her face.

Those three were determined…but she wasn't one to give up so easily. She would have Raph if it were the last thing she did. Those three in there, they were nothing. She wanted _him…_ she wanted him in her grasp; to do as she pleased with.

She wanted Raphael.

* * *

**LOL - I've gotten many reviews asking wheter Suri is evil now. Well, I'm not going to tell, you'll just have to keep reading.**

**Reviews are much needed!  
**


	28. Chapter 28

**I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and read my story this far! We're nearing the end, unless it takes another turn like it has so many times. lol**

**please enjoy!  
**

* * *

A clang of metal echoed across the once empty warehouse. Darkness filled the room, hovering over it like a blanket, embracing it in its cold grasp. Three figures walked in the dark, seemingly hovering over the ground as the night hid their movements. One held a lantern in their grasp, a diamond ring on one of the slim fingers. Bracelets dangled off the wrist as the figure swung its hand up, the light sweeping across four metal cages stacked in a corner.

"Is all ready?" a female voice purred.

"Yes ma'am." A male voice answered.

"Good."

"How much do you expect to make off of these animals?"

"I expect the numbers will be in the millions." She chuckled.

"Miss?" another male voice called, younger that the first male voice. "The vets refuse to give us the tranquillizer doses unless they know the exact body weight."

Silence hung thick over the room as the woman gave an eerie smile. "Kill them." she brought a cigarette to rosy red lips and puffed out a small amount of smoke. "Nothing is going to stop us."

"Yes ma'am." Footsteps echoing away told her that her command would be carried out shortly.

"What will we do about the dosage then?" the male voice asked again.

She brought the lantern up, hitting the man square in the face. Brown eyes flickered in annoyance as he brushed a lock of freshly washed brown hair behind an ear. "Steal it."

"But if we give them too much…"

"Then we will sell the bodies off to scientists." She replied. Her blue eyes gleamed. "We only need one alive." She brought the cigarette back to her lips, giving it another puff. "Perhaps we should pay a visit to Mr. Jones. The youngest, Michelangelo is going to pay them a visit later this evening. We knock him out and weigh him then…after all, four alive would be better than dead."

"How do you know this?"

"Raphael has a tracker that was placed on the inside of his shell." She laughed. "It has a special device that if anyone is within three feet of him, we are able to hear the conversation."

The man laughed. "Very good. We shall have him yet…but I have to ask. Why don't we just grab the youngest then and use him as bait?"

"Do you not recall what happened last time you tried that?" her voice turned cold. "I lost twenty of my best men. No, we capture them all at once."

"And what of the red banded turtle? The one they call Raphael?"

"He will watch." Another smile played over her face. "He will watch in silence as, one by one, each of his brother's is taken from him."

"And of the others?"

"The youngest one in the orange mask already has a potential buyer." She told him, a hint of pride in her voice. "A man in Alaska already wishes to buy him…he is the youngest and will break first and the easiest. The one in purple, Donatello, has already been sold to a man for a circus. He is an excellent fighter but is not a rebellious turtle. From my notes, he is calm, shy, but very thoughtful and resourceful."

"What of the leader? The one in the blue? The one they call Leonardo…" His voice trailed off, as he thought of the turtle in the cage, seemingly lost and desperate to protect his family. "He will be hard to control…they say he is the best fighter of them all."

"You do whatever it takes." She told him coldly. Warning was clear in her voice. "You fail…you die."

* * *

"Casey open up!" Mikey banged softly on the glass window separating him from the warm living room.

"Sorry Mike." Casey opened the window, ushering his friend in. "My crazy neighbor decided tonight was a good night to stop by and bug me."

Mikey laughed as he stepped inside, sealing the window behind him. "What? You couldn't take an old lady?"

"She ain't exactly an old lady, Mike." Casey called from the kitchen.

"No?"

"Try the daughter of a sumo wrestler and black belt in karate?"

"Uhhh…"

"Exactly." Casey walked out of the kitchen; two cola's in one hand and the other helped balance a pizza on his shoulder. "Too bad the others couldn't come up." He set the pizza on the coffee table.

"Nah, Leo had some things to do with Splinter and Don was giving Raph some exercises to help build up his leg again." He opened the pizza box, inhaling the fresh aroma of the pepperoni pizza before him. "But I was bored and pizza sounded too good to pass up." He happily lifted a slice, the cheese dripping from the edges, and stuck a large bite in his mouth.

Casey chuckled at the cheese dribbling from Mike's beak and took a slice and a "manly" bite of his own.

"Tastes a little off." Mikey commented as he chewed, staring thoughtfully at his pizza.

"Probably just overcooked it some." Casey said between bites.

Mike shrugged and stuffed the rest in his mouth. He started to reach for a second slice when the room started to tilt funny.

"Whoa!" Mikey grabbed his head with one hand, shaking his head to clear it.

"You OK?…What the -?" Casey had stood up suddenly to aid the turtle, but was hit with a wave of dizziness of his own. With a groan, and sudden pain shooting through his body, he sank to the floor.

Mikey gave a small whimper of pain as bolts of pain shot through his chest. He reached for his cell to call Don but he never made it…he joined Casey on the floor a second later.

He dimly heard the sound of glass breaking and unfamiliar voices of men. His vision blurred and his body felt paralyzed. He tried to lift a hand, to reach his nunchuck, but his arm betrayed him. He could still hear and feel everything, but he was useless in stopping it.

He felt two pairs of hands roll him off his stomach and onto what felt like cold steel. A part of him started to panic as he waited for leather straps to be wrapped around him arms, legs, and chest. Another part of him just didn't care what happened…it wasn't important. Right?

He heard a strange beeping sound as his blurred vision saw men move above him, touching him, injecting needles into his arm. He groaned as a needle jabbed into his arm wrong, drawing blood but painfully.

A pair of hands forced his mouth open and a gloved hand was shoved in, feeling his teeth and gums, called out notes to another person. He wanted to bite the person, to tell him to get his hand out of his mouth, but all that came out was a muffled whimper of protest as another needle was jabbed into his thigh.

The hands released his mouth as another shoved a piece of leather in, letting him bite down hard on it as one more needle was stuck into his neck. This time all went dark.

* * *

The three men entered the apartment building, after making sure the pizza they'd drugged had worked on the two occupants inside. One of them carried a large, flat, portable scale under one arm while the other one carried a clipboard of notes to fill out over the turtle. The last man carried a bag full of needles, tubes, and anything else their procedure required.

"Come on, roll him onto it." The blonde haired man grunted as he set down the large scale. A black haired and red haired man dropped their supplies and helped him roll the huge turtle onto the scale. The small scale beside it began to beep as the red mechanical numbers jumped past one hundred and began climbing. After the turtle was limp on the metal sheet, the red haired man picked up his clipboard, pen poised over the white sheet.

"How much does he weigh?"

The black haired man checked the numbers. "186!" he yelled.

The red haired man jotted down the numbers. He turned to the black haired man who was getting out needles and small tubes for the blood. "Greg, can you get the blood samples? Me and Chester will do the rest."

Greg nodded, already poking one needle through the turtle's arm. "No problem Deg."

Deg pried open the turtle's mouth, amazed that the teeth weren't yellow. "Teeth look good!" he called out as he pulled on a leather glove and inspected the mouth closer. "Seems to have a few cavities though…must have a sweet tooth." He reached into his bag and pulled out a thick leather strap, setting it far into the turtle's jaws and buckling it behind his head so it wouldn't drop out of his mouth before releasing his grip.

The turtle immediately started to gnaw on the leather strip in obvious pain as Greg stuck a needle into his neck, injecting a clear substance into the veins. The turtle went completely unconscious.

Deg nodded and pulled out a knife from a small sheath from his back pocket. "Hold him up." He ordered as Chester and Greg propped the turtle against the wall, each holding tightly to an arm. Deg pulled out a small lighter from his other front pocket and flicked it on. The small flame burst into life as the small knife was held over it, heating it up until it was blackened and smoke streams rose from the blade.

With one quick motion, Deg slicked the knife against green skin at the shoulder where it would be hidden from view due to the shell blocking it from sight. The turtle, although out cold, started to struggle and let out muffled moans and whimpers of pain behind the leather strip. Chester and Greg just held him tight as Deg dropped a small circle of metal into the open wound. He then held the knife horizontal and let the heated blade rest on the burnt skin, letting the skin melt back together until it was just a scar.

"That everything?" Chester asked as he wrote down the last bit of information he could gather from viewing.

Greg nodded his head as he undid the leather strap from the turtle's mouth and let the body sink to the floor. Silently the three men gathered their supplies up and left in their wake a broken window and a moaning turtle and without a clue as to their ever being in the apartment of Casey Jones.

* * *

**Confused? Good - all questions will be answered later!**

**See if you can't guess who the mysterious woman at the beginning is....**

**Review please!  
**


	29. Chapter 29

**I hope you have all enjoyed Believe so far. **

**Please read at the bottom for further notes but for now, enjoy!**

* * *

"Where's Mikey at?" Raph asked from the doorway, Suri at his side like she'd always been. He'd tried to keep his anger under control at the sight of his brothers, especially after what he'd learned, but the sight of them added kindle to the small fire, steadily making it larger.

Leo looked up from his book, his chocolate eyes narrowing at the sight of the girl. Even though she'd proved to be one of them over and over – proved her loyalty to them – something about her still rubbed his the wrong way. "Mike went up to Casey's for a bit. They were going to order pizza and watch a movie I think. Why?"

"No reason." Raph shrugged his shoulders but he couldn't help but quench the slight fear in his heart that had been eating at him for the past few hours. He was with Casey, safely in an old apartment – as safe as you could call Casey's place – eating pizza and having the time of his life.

Then why did the fear not leave?

Raph cleared his throat. "Would you mind calling him bro? You know, just in case."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "In case of what?"

"I just have this feeling, okay?" Raph sighed, rubbing two fingers at his temples. The feeling was getting stronger…. "Look, can ya just call?"

Leo starred at his brother oddly, but reached for his shell cell anyway. Flipping it open, he punched in a number, waiting patiently for the young turtle to pick up. After twenty rings, Leo closed the phone, a concerned expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Mike's not answering his phone." Leo frowned the small device, as though if could answer his questions.

Raph felt his heart start to race as he anxiously fingered his sai for comfort. "He was at Casey's right?" he started to lift himself from the wheelchair.

"No you don't." Leo jumped to his feet, placing a sturdy hand on Raph's shell to make him fell back into the leather seat. "I'll go."

"But -" Raph objected before Leo silenced him with a look.

"I'll go." He repeated firmly.

Raph slumped down and cursed his broken leg. Suri shot her own small glare at the blue clad turtle, which Leo ignored as he slipped his X-crossed swords onto his shell. Slipping his shell-cell back into his leather belt he glanced up with set brown eyes. "Stay here Raph. I'll be back in a few. Chances are they're out and don't even hear it, but I'm going to check anyway."

"Where you going Leo?" Don called out wordily as he watched Leo prepare to head out. After Raph had left, his heart thudded painfully every time one of them went out alone. He knew it wasn't happening again – one of them wasn't leaving – but it still didn't stop his rapid and fearful heartbeats.

"Out." Leo told him as he collected his katana that he'd just finished cleaning, slipping it into it's rightful sheath. "Mike's not answering his shell-cell."

Don's eyes flashed with worry at the mention of the youngest turtle. "Wait for me – I'll come with you." He ran back into his lab, reappearing a second later with his Bo staff on his shell. "Let's go."

"Now Raph," Leo called out as they headed towards the elevator. "No daring rescues this time, K bro?"

Raph just crossed his arms in front of his plastron; sending death glares at the two retreating turtles with fire in amber orbs. Leo rolled his eyes at the elevator door slid open and the two slid inside. A second later it closed with a rumble as it made it's way above ground.

"Raph?" Suri asked softly as they starred at the closed elevator door. "Think Mikey's okay?"

"The twerp better be." Raph growled as he gave himself another push, hoisting himself from the chair. His tightly bandaged white leg was held slightly off the floor as Raph attempted to regain his balance. After the frantic spinning of the room stopped, he set both feet firmly on the floor, ignoring the painful bolts of pain that shot up his leg. "Let's go."

Suri shot him a worried glance. "Should you be up on that leg yet?"

Raph gave her a painful grimace in what was supposed to be a smile of reassurance. Suri just shook her head at him, tossing a lock of black hair from her eyes. "Fine then, but I'm coming with you at least."

"I knew you would." Raph smiled down at her as he hobbled to the door. He pushed the big elevator button and waited impatiently for the doors to slide open. Limping inside, he waited for Suri to join him. As soon as she was in and the doors were shut, Raph let himself lean on the side, doing his best not to show that he was in pain due to the several stabs of pain ran through his legs. He didn't notice he had a grimace of pain etched on his features until he saw Suri's concerned face.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Raph said right as the doors slid open, revealing the empty space where the battle shell was usually parked and his bike, still parked in the far corner and covered by a light trap.

Raph hobbled over to it and threw back the cover. His bright red and black Harley Davidson seemed to light up the warehouse, twinkling in the faint moonlight that shone through the windows. The spray painted flames seemed to leap off the dark background. The leather seats were a gentle brown. The black tires had no mulch or grime on them as every inch of the steel was spotless.

Suri let out a whistle as she moved towards the bike. "Nice."

"Thanks." Raph slipped one his black helmet with a red stripe on the top before offering her the spare helmet, a twin to his own. She pulled back her black hair before slipping it on her own head, adjusting the strap before mounting the bike. She moved towards the front and grabbed the handle, and looked at Raph expectantly.

"Hop on." She patted the seat behind her.

Raph had to shut his hanging jaw before answering. "Ummm….no."

Suri gave him a look. "Do you really think you'll be able to ride with that injury?"

"Yes."

"No, now hop on." The look she gave Raph made the turtle realize that she wasn't moving an inch. With a heavy sigh, he hobbled forward and mouth, enjoying the feeling of polished leather under him and the sleek metal by his legs. Pulling out the small stands for his feet, he gave her a nod of the head.

Suri revered the engine as Raph pushed a small button on his shell cell. The garage door opened quickly and with another nod from Raph, they tore out of the garage and onto the street. Raph pushed the button again on his phone, knowing the garage door would close on it's own.

As they tore down the street, a few strands of black hair escaped Suri's helmet and whipped back, hitting Raph on the nose. He jerked his head back slightly, just out of the hair's reach, and held on tightly to her hips. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms completely around her waist and tuck himself into her, letting her rest against his plastron.

But he didn't…they were just friends.

"Which way?" Suri screamed above the rushing wind.

Raph glanced at the streets then pointed to the right, towards the more rundown part of New York. "That way!"

Carefully maneuvering the bike, she weaved in and out of cars. Raph had to smirk at the number of honors that were honking at them, they enraged yells as drivers rolled down their windows and the snotty teens as they flipped him off.

Nothing like New York traffic to brighten a spirit.

"Turn in there!" Raph jutted his chin at an alleyway. Carefully slowing down, Suri maneuvered the heavy bike around garbage and trashcans until they came to a relatively clean spot. Shutting off the engine, Raph looked up worriedly at the darkened window of his friend's apartment.

Dismounting the bike, he let a low hiss of pain as he landed on his wrong leg. Suri was immediately at his side, her arms wrapped around his large shell. She gave him an encouraging smile as they hobbled forward. Raph grabbed a small box hidden under a bolted down dumpster and slipped out a well worn trench coat. Slipping it on, he held the collars of the jacket high up to his chin, hiding his face as they opened the back door to the apartment building and slipped in.

Normally they would just take the fire escape but with his leg, Raph knew there was a better chance of him surviving with Shredder than climbed the metal structure. Carefully setting each foot on the rotting stairs, he made his way up to the third floor, where Casey lived.

He paused at the end of the hallway, sticking his ear to floor.

"Is he okay Don?" Leo's hushed voice asked softly.

Don gave an unintelligible answer in which he heard Leo let out a soft growl. Raph couldn't take it anymore and pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Leo was glaring at door, one sword already drawn as he stood protectively over Don and Mikey. His eyes went wide and he sheathed the sword.

"Raph!" He growled.

Don relaxed and went back to tending to Mikey. Raph's eyes scanned over Casey's still form on the couch and Mikey's body on the floor – the glass on the floor from the mirror…the spilled pizza and drinks. He knew his amber eyes were red with rage.

"What the shell happened here?" he growled.

Don sighed, rubbing a hand over his domed head. "We…don't know."

* * *

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	30. Chapter 30

**Sorry for a late update. I have a new job that has been draining all my energy. I work with horses and 146 kids a week for 40 hours so... *sigh* thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story this long.  
**

* * *

Mikey struggled through the darkness that gripped him like a hand, squeezing. He could see the faint light above him and he tried to move towards it.

He could hear voices saying his name, calling him.

_Why does waking up have to be so hard?_ He thought, groaning. He could feel something grasp his hand tightly and inwardly winced. _Not so hard._

"Mike?"

The voices were getting louder as Mikey struggled towards it.

"Come on bro, open your eyes."

Mikey recognized the thick accent that laced his voice. "Raph?" he murmured, eyes flickering open.

At first, all he could see was a big green blur with a little red mixed in near the top.

"Mikey, can you hear me?" The voice asked again, leaning closer.

Mikey caught a strong smell of bike oil and gas as he shook his head lightly, struggling to focus on the green blur.

"Mikey?" a new voice asked.

_Leo_, Mikey thought as another blur of green and blue joined the first.

"Come on bro, focus."

"Leo?" Mike muttered, wincing as he felt pain in his shoulder.

"That's it Mike. That's it." Leo's voice crooned, coaxing him out of his drugged state.

Finally, after several times of rapid blinking, Mikey focused on his two eldest brothers, leaning anxiously over him. He had a brief thought of why Raph was there, but shoved it away. It didn't matter – he just wanted his brothers near him.

"Are you okay Mikey?" Raph asked, his voice thick, almost drowning in emotion.

"Yeah," Mikey struggled into a sitting position. Two pairs of hands helped, each grabbing a shoulder and the edges of his shell as the hoisted him up, leaning him back against several pillows. As a hand brushed against his shoulder, a sharp pain shot through.

Mikey gasped, involuntarily jerking away.

"Mikey, are you okay?" Leo's eyes scanned over him, his dark chocolate orbs taking in every little detail.

"My shoulder." Groaned Mikey, leaning against the pillows and closing his eyes. It was just too much work to stay awake.

"Don, he says his shoulder hurts." A female voice said.

"Suri?" peeking out from half-closed lids, Mikey saw the thin shape of the teenage girl. "What ya doing here?"

Suri just smiled at him, moving away so the purple clad turtle could get through. Don knelt down beside Mikey, looking at him with anxious brown eyes.

"What hurts Mikey?" he asked softly.

"S…shoulder." He moaned.

Mikey felt Raph's rough, thick hands grasp his as Don probed the shoulder with one hand. He hissed in pain, teeth clenching together as another painful streak went through his body.

"Sorry Mike." Don drew his hand away. Mikey could see confusion written on his face

"Well?" Raph demanded.

"I'm not sure." Confessed Don. "The scar," he pointed. "Is new but there's not blood or anything…odd." Studying the strange scar, he noted the slightly blackened skin around the area that could be caused by heat having contact with the skin. "Burns?" he muttered to himself.

"What?"

"Look, see the blackened skin?" Don pointed. "That would be caused by heat, or fire. The odd thing is, I can't tell why. If it was caused by a fire, the whole area around it would be swollen and a blackish color. But it's only this small area."

"So what happened?" Leo stood over Don, viewing the burn in anger. Somebody had purposely hurt his youngest brother and he didn't like it that even Don wasn't able to tell them what had happened.

"Don, look at this." Raph pointed to Mikey's face. Don leaned closer, eye ridges raising when he saw the faint pale green skin line that went from his brother's mouth and all the way around his head.

"Mikey, do you remember anything that happened?" Leo asked, not even bothering to see what had Don so upset. He wanted to find who was responsible. They hadn't gotten anything from Casey, who was still out cold on the couch.

Mikey leaned back, eyes closing. "The pizza…it was drugged." He murmured.

Raph and Leo exchanged looks as Don pulled out a set of rubber gloves and grabbed a slice of the pizza. Bringing it to his face, he gave it a light sniff. The drug smell was overwhelming.

"Ugh," Don moved it away as he pulled out a plastic bag and dropped it in then sealed it shut. "That pizza is barley pizza anymore. Whoever did this, wanted to make sure they stayed out. But why?"

"What happened after that Mike?" Leo turned to the youngest turtle.

"I'm… I'm not really sure." He stammered. His baby blue eyes were full of confusion, something the youngest turtle wasn't used to feeling. Normally. "After the pizza, I fell to the floor. I saw three…maybe more…enter the room. They started to stick needles in me…" he gave a small shudder and instantly Don was at his side, looking over him more closely for needle marks.

"Did you see what was in the needles?" Don asked.

Mikey shook his head. "No, I only knew they were in me." He could recognize the feeling of needles anywhere.

"Okay, okay…" Rubbing a hand over his head, Don let out a heavy sigh. "I'll need to do some more tests when I get home to see if they just drew blood or inserted something in your bloodstream."

"How?" Mikey gave his brother a wary look.

"Um, I'd have to take blood." His voice was suddenly very small.

"Different topic!" Leo shouted, sensing the sudden tense air in the room. He could see the scared look pass over his baby brother's face and the nervous look on his second youngest brother.

"Ugh…" Casey stirred on the couch, his head moving slightly to the side. Instantly Leo and Raph was at his side. Suri rushed into the kitchen and returned a second later with a cool washcloth. Handing it to Raph, he wiped his best friends forehead, dampening it.

"Case, can ya hear me?" Leo asked softly. He could help but notice how Suri hung back, watching them.

"Yeah…I think so." He opened his blue eyes, blinking around, confused. "What happened?" He groaned. "The last thing I remember is getting ready to complain about over-cooked pizza with Mike…Mikey!" His eyes went wide as he sat up straight, looking frantically for the youngest turtle.

"Here dude." Mikey waved weakly.

"What happened?"

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us." Leo growled, bashing one fist into the other. So far none of them really remembered enough to tell them who was responsible for what had happened.

"Sorry Leo, I got nothing."

"As usual." Raph snorted.

"Hey!" Casey shot the red-banded turtle a resentful look. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"Okay guys." Leo was getting tired of trying to tell the others to get along – to try and keep the peace. "Guys, we're heading home." Shooting Casey an apologetic look, he shrugged. "April was called and she'll be on her way here in a few minutes."

The man's eyes lit up and all the turtles knew he tough guy act would drop the second the beautiful redhead walked through the door.

"Sure guys." His voice dropped to a low, fake, moan. "Go on guys…I'll be okay." Waving them off weakly, he sunk back into the leather couch. Closing his eyes, he put on a painful face.

Suri rolled her eyes and moved closer to Raph. "Men." She muttered under her breath.

Mikey sucked in a breath as the teenage girl moved closer to Casey. Observing them almost side-by side, he was stunned at the similar characteristics.

Both of them shared the same ice blue eyes and raven black hair. While Suri had a trim body, Casey had his football build. But both of them had an oval shaped face and same chin.

_Suri and Casey aren't related…are they? _

_

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_**Please reivew! **


	31. Chapter 31

**I hope you all like this so far so please review! I don't own them - if I did, they would be in trouble :)**

**Big thanks to Mike11 for sticking with me to update. All lateness in updates are to be blamed on my job.  
**

* * *

Leo carefully placed each foot, eyes straining through the darkness. The steady drip of the water hit the cement floor with a soft sound. Hand reaching around, he silently drew his katana. No light gave the blade a glitter, but Leo could still feel the deadliness of the blade.

A soft whooshing sound caught his attention and he froze. A brief flash of red caught his attention to the left and he let a grin come over his face.

_There you are._

Leaping forward, following his instincts, he struck the faint flash of red. There was an echo of yelps and the sound of something hard hitting concrete.

"Get off me Leo!"

Leo grinned as he moved off the struggling and cursing figure. "I could see you a mile away bro – stealth was never one of your big things, was it?"

Raph could only grumble as he shoved his older brother off his plastron. "Whatever." He growled. "Just get the shell off me!"

Leo complied, swinging off his brother and back onto his feet. Standing back a few feet, he tried to hide the smirk as his brother struggled up. Even since Raph had decided to stay with them until his leg healed at least, he'd been back to training, trying to regain his  
muscle strength he'd lost.

Although he tried to hide it well, Leo knew he missed being able to fill his stomach whenever he chose and the warm, dry bed to sleep in alone. He also knew Raphael missed the attention Mikey saved for him and the current and constant check ups of Don.

Leo could still sense tension between the hotheaded turtle and Splinter but he chose to ignore it. It was better than him flat out ignoring the aged rat.

"Again?"

Raph shot the leader a glare, fire filling his amber eyes. "Ya know bro, you'd better be glad this ain't for real. Then I'd really take you down."

"I'm sure."

"Don't mock me!" Raph's voice rose and a growl followed the words.

Flinching, Leo stepped back. He couldn't fight with Raph…not now. "You're right." he soothed.

"No you're a…what?" His voice was shaky, unsure. That was the last answer he'd expected Leo to give.

"You're right." Confirmed Leo. "That was wrong of me. Forgive me?"

"Umm…" this wasn't anything like he'd expected. It was almost like a dream – a dream where for once, he was right. He was the perfect son and Leo was second best.

He couldn't help himself, but pinched his right arm, closing his eyes. There was a small sting of pain and he opened his eyes again. Leo was staring at him with slight confusion.

"You alright." He stepped forward, thinking he might be in pain from their tumble.

"I'm fine." Raph snapped, stepping away from the probing hands.

"Then what were you doing?"

"Stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Yeah."

"Um…okay." Leo tilted his head, studying his younger brother. Raph had never been the sharpest pencil in the box but he made up for it in pure raw muscle. While Leo was an expert fighter, he never had the brute force Raph had, which made him a valuable asset in battle. "Wanna go again?"

"No, I'd like to head home."

I must be dreaming. Raph always wanted to get out…and he said home. Pride swelled through the eldest turtle, like a balloon waiting to burst. "Okay, whatever you say."

Raph himself thought he was dreaming as well. Twice in a row Leo has agreed with me? Let alone, twice in a day? I must be on a roll. A smile passed over his features.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yep."

Leo could only roll his eyes, but he felt the thankful swell again. They hadn't joked around since they were kids…maybe Splinter was right and it was all for the better.

Although Leo was pleased with having his relationship well on the way to being fixed, he couldn't help but think it was too high a price. He'd missed Raph like shell when he was gone but was it really worth it? Was a measly get-along relationship worth almost loosing his brother?

"Okay then. How about we head over to Casey's tonight?"

Raph hesitated. "Can't." he mumbled.

"Why not?"

"I promised Suri we'd spend the evening together." The words came out almost shameful.

Swallowing the disappointment in his throat, Leo nodded. "Sure Raph. Whatever you want."

"Thanks Leo." Raph smiled gratefully, like the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.

"So what were you two planning to do tonight?" Leo smiled. He was glad his brother had found someone so close to him. Suri has always seemed so overprotective of Raph – never wanting to share him with anyone else.

For once in his life, Leo was baffled. He couldn't imagine who she had competition with – there wasn't exactly a line up for girls to date them.

"We're planning to go out."

"Out?" Leo tensed at the words. Out for Raph usually meant a few bloody knuckles and a black eye to match.

"Just up Leo. We're going to walk in the park and do stuff like that…nothing dangerous."

"I see." As much as Leo didn't believe him, he really didn't have a choice. That was part of their relationship problem – neither of them wanted to believe each other. But he was going to fix that starting now. "Have fun."

"Thanks Leo… thanks a lot." To Raph, the very praise of his brother meant more to him than he ever thought it would. So used to the constant word no, he never thought have fun was in his oldest brother's dictionary.

With a smile at Leo, Raph turned away, ready to head home and get ready for his 'date'. Even though Leo had announced his approval for Raph's date, something still seemed missing.

"And Raph?"

Raph hesitated, half turning back towards Leo.

"Be safe."

And now it was complete.

* * *

"I understand!" her voice was desperate, pleading. She ignored the odd looks fellow New Yorkers were giving her and she hugged the payphone, fiddling with the chord with her fingers. "No sir."

_"They must be found."_ The voice was low and raspy. _"The buyers are coming soon and they must be ready."_

"I...I understand sir. We're trying as hard as we can but now Raphael seems determined to stay with his family."

_"Well he won't be so determined if we take his precious Suri away from him."_

A smile spread across her features and blue eyes twinkled. "Yes sir. I'm sure something…special, for the girl can be arranged."

_"Good."_

She could almost imagine him smiling.

_"Very good."_

_

* * *

_**Um...please review :) **

**Still think Suri is evil? Review and let me know!**


	32. Chapter 32

**What happened to all my reviewers? *cries* they all went away :( well, thanks to those who did - made me happy :) Thanks to - Mike11, Simone Robinson, and DarkRose-Karma.**

**Anyway, please enjoy :)  
**

* * *

"Tonight was fun Raph." Suri smiled, leaning against Raph's arm.

The both sat on top of a rooftop of an old diner, legs dangling over the edge. The stars glittered above them like a thousand fireflies and the moon shone brightly, lighting almost all of New York under it's powerful glow.

"It's beautiful." She breathed, breathing in the turtle's scent. Now that he had gained weight and had gotten healthier, he had a certain glow to him that she never saw while on the streets. Everything about him just seemed to be more happy – more like he had a purpose.

"I know." He leaned against her, wrapping a muscular arms around her skinny shoulders. She leaned against him, closing her eyes.

"Thank you Raph."

He looked down at her face. When her eyes were closed, she seemed so peaceful, so angelic. He never would have believed she could kick bad guy butt to Tuesday. "For what?"

She snuggled closer and Raph wrapped him arm more tightly. Already he could feel a protectiveness over her – one he'd never felt for his brothers before.

"Tonight." She whispered. "It was perfect."

"It was nothing." A blush crept onto his cheeks. "It was just take out at a Chinese place and a star light show."

"My favorite Chinese place," she corrected him. "And the best seats in town." Waving her arms at the sky, Raph understood. "It was perfect."

Raph couldn't hold back a small snort. "As perfect as you can get with a five foot tall, walking turtle with a small budget."

"That's why you're perfect." Blinking her large blue eyes at him, Raph could feel heat racing to his face. "How many other girls have a turtle with a six-pack for a boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?" Eye ridges rose at the sentence. Did she just call me her boyfriend?

"Yeah…we are, aren't we?" She suddenly looked nervous, as though she'd spoken to soon.

"If you want me to be." He couldn't believe his luck.

With a smile, her face relaxed back into her angle-like appearance. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Me too Suri…me too."

Raph couldn't believe how the night was going. First Suri admitted to sharing his feelings and now…the night was truly perfect.

Well, it would have been it if weren't for the sudden sound of a gun cocking that sent Raph shooting to his feet. His eyes danced around, holding a protective hand towards Suri for her to stand behind his shell.

"What is it Raph?" she whispered.

"I heard something."

Suri grew tense and looked around nervously, her hands bunching into fists. "What?"

"I thought I heard a gun…" his voice trailed off as he peered into a practically deep and dark shadow, cast by the tall building next door. Eyes squinting, he could almost swear he saw a piece of metal glint of the bright rays of the moon.

Fists bunching, he stepped forward, muscles ready to dive aside if he was shot at. "I see you in there!" He growled. "Come on out before I have to come too you."

"I knew you would." The voice chuckled as a woman stepped forward. The breeze tossed light brown hair over shoulders as deep brown eyes glared from under bangs.

"Who're you?" Suri asked.

The woman never let he eyes leave Raph's angry face. "My name is Egypt."

"Egypt?" Raph had to bite back a deep chuckle.

"Yes." Her voice was calm and collected, not normal for someone who had just seen a giant walking turtle. Rolling on the balls of her feet, she let her hips sway gently as she walked forward a few feet. Her light brown hair came almost to her waist. She wore a skin-tight, leather, black suit that gave her a Cat Woman like appearance. "And I've heard a lot about you Raphael."

Raph was instantly on alert. "How'd ya know my name?" he questioned in a snarl.

Egypt casually shrugged, making Raph more huffed. She was way to calm for his liking. "I know you very well Raphael. In fact, I may know you better than you know yourself." She started to circle the wary turtle. Her hands stayed clear of her pockets, showing she wasn't going to reach for a weapon.

"I bet not lady." Snorted Raph. "You don't know me."

"But I do," she purred. "I know for many years, ever since you were a little hatchling, you've been alone."

Chills racing through him, Raph could only listen in stunned silence as she went on.

"I know you're older brother, Leonardo, left you alone – left you to defend for yourself as you were growing up." Her eyes glittered. "I know you may recall sitting outside your training room for hours, listening to Leonardo practice and you waiting…waiting for him to notice you."

"How the shell do you know that stuff?" Raph felt himself start to sweat, nervous droplets rolling down his face.

"I know you Raphael, remember?" She seemed almost amused by it all. "You've always wanted to be the leader…you've always wanted to be special to your father."

"No…no…" his voice was no more than a mere whisper.

"But your father chose Leonardo to lead…he chose him to be number one in his heart. You've always known you were last, haven't you?" chuckling, she went on. "Michelangelo would be next, being the baby of the family. Then there would be Donatello, the quiet yet loyal one. Your father could always count on Donatello to fix the TV – to prove his worth over and over. And then there was you…" her voice trailed off, allowing the words to sink into Raph's head, as well as his heart. "You're rash…foolish. You may have strength, but so do your brothers. But then where does that leave you? Hmm?"

"Master Splinter said…"

"Master?" her eyebrow rose in question. "See, ever now you admit to being his humble servant."

"Servant? What?!" he wasn't sure whether to be furious or stunned. "Master is a sign of respect to your teacher."

"Respect?" chuckling, she let a smile play across her face. "Master is simply showing humbleness…never was it respect. Servants said master because it showed that they were lower than those they served – they're weak. And I know you're not weak."

"Like heck he's not." Suri growled, hooking her arm through Raph's. The red-banded turtle could only nod.

"Then why does he resort to master?"

For once in his life, Raphael was speechless. Splinter had always told them that master was just a title of respect…but now that he thought about it, was it just about respect? Or was it something more?

"Then what should I do?" He growled, lifting his chin and stepping away from Suri. His amber eyes bore into the brown orbs.

"Simple." She smiled. "You need to show them who's the 'master'. You're not weak and they need to see that – you're strong and by far one of the best fighters of them all."

"How?" Weakness was always something he wanted to stay away from, and now he was going to have a chance to prove he was better than Leo. He was worth being leader of the clan.

"It's quite easy." She said. "Just…remove them from the picture for awhile. Let them see that it's you who's in charge – you're the one who holds them together."

Already, Raph could see it. Leo would be looking to him for leadership…he would be Mikey's source of guidance and Don's encouragement. He would be Splinter's favorite son.

"Alright, just show me how."

"The choice will be hard." She warned.

"I don't care."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well." She made a move to turn away.

"Wait!" Raph reached after her, taking a few steps in her direction. She paused, turning to look over her shoulder.

"Yes Raphael?"

"How though?"

He couldn't help but shiver at the eerie smile she sent his way. "Oh, I'm sure that when the time comes, you'll figure it out."

She moved so fast, Raph barely blinked before her hand whipped towards her belt and she threw a smoke pellet to the ground. Coughing, Raph stumbled back, shielding his eyes with one hand while waving the smoke away from his face with the other.

"Suri!" His voice was hoarse as he stumbled towards where he'd left the girl. "Suri!"

A few minutes later, the smoke cleared out and the only sign that it had ever been thrown was the burning feel in his chest and the slight coughs.

He swore his heart stopped as he scanned the rooftop for the beautiful girl.

The empty rooftop.

"SURI!!!"

* * *

"Movie night! Movie night!" Mikey cheered as he led the small parade of him and Casey around the couch before plopping down. In his raised fist he carried his favorite movie while Casey held his own.

"What choices do you all have?" April smiled as she clutched her own DVD to her chest protectively. Splinter stood beside her, leaning on his cane, a smile on his features.

Leo sat in the huge recliner, Don on the floor next to him. Each of them had their own movie choices as well.

"I have 'The Scorpion King'." Leo smiled, holding up his choice. It was his favorite movie – it had action, great sword fighting, and it showed a great amount of skill and honor in the hero's way, bravely fighting across the distance to save his people and restore order.

"Leo, Leo, Leo…" Don gave a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes. "That movie is so fake. Why not watch a better movie?"

"Like what?" Leo looked unconvinced.

Don proudly held up his unscratched copy of 'Twister'.

There was a great chorus of loud groans from Casey and Mikey while April nodded approvingly.

"How about you then Mike? Since their choices are so horrible?" Teased the red-headed woman.

"I proudly pronounce the best movie ever made! Drum roll please!" With a great dramatic entry, he held up the movie that caused loud groans and boos' from everyone in the room. Ever Splinter's ears went back and a small frown went across his face at his youngest son's movie choice.

"My son, I highly doubt 'Howard the Duck' is an appropriate movie choice."

"Why not?" Mikey's face dropped.

"Cause they're be no one around to watch it." Leo teased. "Case, how about you?"

Casey just smirked and held up 'Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail' which earned a repeated chorus of boos' and groans.

"What?" Casey said, oblivious to his movie selection.

"April?" Splinter turned.

Everyone looked at April who gave a small smile. "I picked 'Titanic." She said softly.

"What?" Casey scratched his head while Don looked thoughtful.

"It's a beautiful movie." April smiled to herself. "It has action, love, forgiveness, and just a great overall plot and meaning to it."

"Love? Ewww." Mikey snorted.

"Don, it's kinda like a documentary." April explained. "And Leo, it has great morals in it about forgiveness and true love and what it means to stay loyal to yourself."

Leo nodded, looking like he'd go for it.

"And Mike," She turned to the stubborn young turtle. "It has…action scenes! With guns and bad guys and everything!"

"Really!?" Mike spun around, bopping his head. "Stick it in then!"

"Splinter?" April asked, waiting for the old rat's approval.

"I do enjoy a good older movie." Splinter nodded his head while he made his way to another chair. "Stick it in, my daughter."

Six hours later, everyone was wiping tears from their eyes as Rose clutched Jack's hand, giving one last pleading whisper as he slipped away into the frozen ocean's depths, his hand still reached up to her even as he sunk away into the darkness of the waters.

When Rose passed away in her sleep, after dropping the necklace into the ocean, Splinter gave a small sniff as she was once again reunited with Jack in heaven, them giving one kiss that sealed their love.

As Celine Dion came on with her song, 'My Heart will Go On', April stood up and hit the eject button. "Well?" she sniffed, turning to the others.

No words were needed as everyone gave tearful nods. Even Casey had a few tear tracks on his face, though he tried to hide it.

"Good choice April." Leo smiled, standing up. "I'm going out just for a second…I need to collect myself."

Splinter smiled. "Return quickly my son."

"Yes Master." Leo bounded outside, scaling the wall. He didn't see the several figures hidden in the shadows, dart guns in their hands.

All he felt were the quick rapid fire of the needles piercing his skin before everything started to blur. He didn't even have time to gasp before darkness set in and the ground raced up to meet him.

Darkness.

* * *

**In case any of you were wondering, I'm on a Titanic addiction right now so I've been watching it a lot. Best movie ever! LOL**

**Please review!  
**


	33. Chapter 33

**We are finally nearing the end of this fic...thank goodness. I want to say a big thanks to those who've stuck with it this long. So here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Leo desperately wished that goons would let them wake up in peace as a bucket full of cold water splashed over his body.

Eyes snapping open, he gasped as the freezing liquid hit him like a punch to the chest, zapping all warmth from his body. Two figures were standing over him, both wearing business suits. The one on the right was slightly taller and held a large five-gallon bucket in his hand. Leo had a feeling it had been filled to the top.

"You awake now?" The taller of the goons snapped.

Leo didn't respond, only sending glares their way. The smallest of the men, shifted and brought out of his pocket a small remote. Leo then realized that he felt a circular metal around his throat and paled, realizing what the remote was for.

"You know what this is turtle?" The tall man chuckled. "Then I trust we will receive no trouble?"

"You wish." Leo growled before a shock swarmed through his body. A stifled yelp escaped his throat and his body arched, straining against the shackles and chains, trying to escape the pain.

The pain went on a few minutes before the ninja released the button. Leo could only lay on the floor, panting, sweat pouring down his body as he fought to regain his breath.

The smallest man moved forward, hooking a chain to a small hook on the metal collar while the second one unhooked the chains from Leo's shackles. Pulling Leo forward, they drug him to his feet.

"Let go!" he snarled, jerking against his captors.

"Move it turtle." The tall goon snarled, pushing him forward.

Leo stumbled as the kept up their onslaught down a long, winding hallway. Torches flickered, casting shadows over the three figures, lighting the way to a set of double doors. Two burly guards stood on either side of the door, both wearing matching black uniforms.

The guard on the right gave Leo a smirk as he shoved open his door. With a hard push the two goons shoved Leo inside.

Leo went sprawling on the floor, letting out of a hiss of pain through clenched teeth.

One figure stood above him, also dressed in a black business suit. The dark shades failed to hide the bushy brown hair that curled over his scalp. Leo had a feeling there were also deep brown eyes hidden behind the black shades.

"Leonardo."

The voice sent shivers of fear down Leo's spine but he refused to show fear in front of the enemy.

"Shaun."

* * *

"Where is Leo?" Mikey drummed his fingers against the couch seat. He starred at the screen on the large TV, annoyed at the 'Scorpion King' theme song that had played through for the millionth time.

"Sensei?" Don looked over at the aged rat.

Splinter looked over at the vacant opening, the window propped up, waiting for Leo to return and seal it back down. The curtains gently blew with the wind.

"Where could he be?" April asked worriedly, her green eyes flickering.

"Go my sons. Find your brother." Splinter instructed with a sigh.

Don and Mikey both gave a small bow before bounding out the window and into the night. Jumping up onto the roof, Don held out his Bo, ready to bring down any hidden enemies. Mikey had his hands near his belt, ready to grab his own weapons at a moment's notice.

"Leo?" the youngest turtle called out softly.

Don looked around the empty rooftop. "I don't see him," he whispered. "Leo?" raising his voice, he hoped the eldest turtle would suddenly appear.

"I don't see him Don."

Don's light brown eyes scanned the roof. "Same here."

The moonlight suddenly glinted and Don felt himself go pale. The glass on the dart was broken, shattered on the cement. The small amount of clear knock out liquid formed a puddle on the floor beside the glass.

"Don?" Mikey's voice sounded younger, more vulnerable…scared. "Where's Leo?"

"I…I don't know."

Mikey let his blue eyes roam the area. "Do you think…do you think he was captured?"

"…it looks like it." Don said softly.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Mikey tried to ward off the night chill. Being cold-blooded sucked. "Who though?"

"It could be anyone." Don explained. "We have so many enemies Mikey…you know that."

"I know Don." Mikey could help the bitter tone in his voice. "But who do you think?"

Don bit back a snappy answer. "Shredder…Hun…Shaun…" And let's not forget the other thousands of people out there who would take on look at us and send us to the nearest lab or zoo. "Mike, we need more clues."

"Like that one?" Don followed after the retreating figure of his brother's shell as it disappeared over the edge of the roof. But instead of going all the way to the alley floor, he paused on the fire escape.

"Mikey!" hissed Don.

A second later the orange clad turtle was back beside his brother, clutching was looked to be a torn piece of blue cloth, stained red. Don paled.

He didn't need to be a genius to know it was Leo's mask with blood coating the fabric.

Taking it gently from Mikey's shaking grip, he let his own eyes carefully trace the ground where Mike had found the crucial piece of evidence. There was nothing else there, as a closer inspection reported. All they found were blood droplets everywhere and tracks from a screeching truck.

* * *

"My sons?" Splinter asked worriedly as the two freezing turtles climbed back through the window. When they didn't say anything, Splinter knew no words were needed – especially when he saw the torn blue mask in Don's hands. Reaching out, he gently pried it from his purple clad son's grasp as April and Casey both shooed them onto the couch and piled blankets on. The evening chill was not good on them and shock could do worse damage to them.

Holding it up, Splinter inspected the cloth under a lamp's light. Like his sons, he knew immediately the red liquid was indeed blood, but whether if was from his eldest son or his captors was unknown. Holding it up to eye level, his sensitive nose caught whiff of something strong and very familiar on the cloth.

"Sensei?" Don asked timidly.

"My sons, I have new information as to the whereabouts of Leonardo." Ears pinned and eyes blazing, he hissed out the answer. "Mr. Shaun."

Don's own light brown eyes blazed in fury at the mention of the brown-headed man's name while Mikey's eyes blazed over in fear and worry. They'd almost lost Leo to Shaun…

"We have to get him out of there." Mikey whispered fearfully.

Don nodded in agreement. "I'll contact Raph so that…"

From out of nowhere there was a series of loud rapping on the glass window and muffled shouts from outside.

"Raph?" Casey moved to open the window.

"Well speak of the devil…" Mikey murmured as the red-banded turtle flung himself into the room. His whole body was covered in a sweat and he was shivering violently. Amber eyes wide and glassy, he swung his head around frantically.

Forgetting all about his own cold, Don flung the blankets off of himself and onto the shaking turtle before him. "Easy Raph…easy there bro. It's okay."

"Suri…" Raph shook his head, eyes closed. He fell to his hands and knees, his legs unable to support him anymore. "Suri, no…"

"Raph!" Don raised his voice. "Snap out of it bro!"

Raph opened his eyes, lifting his chin to meet Don's eyes. Don jerked his head back at the sight of tears pouring out of his brother's eyes. Mikey saw it too and together they helped get the trembling Raph onto the couch. April rushed into the kitchen to make some tea while Casey hovered around the couch, unsure of what to do. Splinter watched the whole thing with a nervous twitch of his whiskers.

"My son?"

Raph dropped his head back down with a moan. Immediately Don started to scan his brother's body for any signs of injuries. Seeing known, he returned his gaze to Raph's tear-streaked face.

"Raph?" Mikey whispered

"Suri…they took her…"

Don and Mikey exchanged glances. Now both Suri and Leo were gone…two people that were close to them…

"Who took her?"

"I don't know…I just don't know."

"It is alright my son." Splinter said in a soothing tone he often used on them when they were children.

Raph let his blurry, blood-shot eyes scan the room. He needed his brother. "Where's Leo?"

"He is gone my son." Splinter coughed quietly, trying to hide the distress in his tone.

"Gone?" Raph also fought the distress in his voice. "Gone where?" he could only pray that they didn't mean the gone where it involved the black hand of death.

"He…he got Leo again." Don growled.

"Who?"

"Shaun."

_No…_

* * *

**Please review and let me know which of my fics I should update next!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Yes, I know I haven't updated this in forever and I apologize greatly. Writers block is a painful thing *shoos away rabid plot bunnies* and new story ideas didn't help either. **

**No they don't belong to me, only OC's... ask before use. **

**Enjoy this chap.  
**

* * *

Before Don could even blink, Raph was out the window, no more than a streak of red and green.

"Raph!" Mikey shoved aside the covers that were covering him and leapt towards the window too, following his brothers back out.

"Mike!" Don threw one hand out, as though he was going to catch him. But it was worthless gesture as the youngest turtle vanished into the cool night. "Great, just great."

"Mikey! Raph!" April leaned out of the window. Her eyes were glazed with fear, the wild night wind whipping her hair around. "Mike! Raph!"

Throwing back the covers, Don dove towards the window.

"Donatello!" Splinter's sharp voice stopped the purple banded turtle in his tracks. "Donatello, look at me."

Clenching his teeth, Don faced his father. "Yes sensei?"

"My son," Splinter sighed. "Please... bring your brothers home safe to me."

With a short, stiff bow, Donny looked his father in the eyes. "Sensei, I swear. If it takes the last breath in my body, I will bring them home to you."

"Go."

With a nod, Don faced April and Casey. April's green eyes were wide with fear.

"Be safe Don," she whispered. Tears dripped down her face.

Brown met green.

"Count on it."

And he was gone.

* * *

"Raph!" Mikey screamed, muscles staining as he pounded after his brother. He took each roof in a single leap, keeping his sights set on the flapping bandana tails and the retreating shell. "Raph! Come back!"

A sudden clap of thunder made him look up. Black gathering clouds were bunching over the city like a wave, a huge screaming sign that a storm was brewing.

"Oh shell." Mikey moaned. "Why does it always have to rain?"

"Michelangelo!" the faint voice of his brother tore through the storm.

Sliding both feet out, he paused, waiting for his older brother to catch up.

"Mike," Don panted. "Mike, where did Raph go?"

Blue eyes wild, Mikey pointed. "He's nuts Donny... he has no idea where he's going. What are we going to do?"

Don's heart raced beneath his plastron. "We have to get him and calm him down.. we need to plan."

"Good luck with that bro."

"Mike, listen. You take the south and I'll take the west - we'll corner him at Main street. We can't let him go after Leo alone-"

"What about Suri?"

Don rolled his eyes. "Yes and Suri too."

With a nod, Mikey took off in his own direction. "Let's go then! Come on!"

Donny took a few seconds too watch his brother's shell slowly growing smaller in the distance before taking off in his own way. The storm continued overhead, relentless, unaware of the three turtles below.

Don ran, knowing every second counted. Even though Raph was the biggest, that did not mean he was slow at all. Mikey was easily the fastest while Leo and Raph took a close second. Don had no idea how he was supposed to catch up with his fastest brothers, but he swore to Splinter on his last breath.

He would bring them home.

A faint yell made him jerk his head to the right. Far off, he could see the faint green blob moving quickly across the rooftops. The only was he knew it was Mikey was the small flaps of orange behind the green speck.

As Don watched, what he thought to be Mike's fastest run, he suddenly sped up. There was another yell.

Forcing his already straining muscles to a faster gait, he went after where Mikey was pointing.

There up ahead, was Raph.

The red banded turtle was running like his life depended on it, his blood red tails flapping madly in the racing wind. Don could imagine the wild, glazed look in Raph's eyes he often got when he was scared or worried beyond comfort and the heavy, labored breathing as his heart raced beneath his pounding plastron.

It was hard to see through the rain which increased in seconds, turning the light drizzle into a downpour that had Don shivering. The rain caused a slight fog over the rooftops, which did not help Don's mood at all.

"So let me get this straight," he panted to himself. "I stuck in the middle of a storm, with two brothers in the rain where they could get sick, one brother missing, one brother in an emotional fit, and a father who is counting on me to bring my whole family home. Great... just great."

* * *

Raph panted hard, his amber eyes glazed over in fear. He could feel the small droplets of rain hitting his skin and shell, the small liquid rivers running into his eyes, stinging them.

_Leo... oh gosh Leo, I'm so sorry... this is all my fault... and Suri... Suri I'm so sorry..._

The puddles splashed under his feet, soaking his ankles and legs. Thunder crashed overhead, as lighting flashed, lighting up the dark New York sky.

He had to find his brother... he had to find Leo.

If that guilt wasn't enough to start eating at him, the guilt that Suri was gone was. It was all his fault... if only he had been more careful... if only he'd watched her back.

It was all his fault.

And if anything happened to either of them, he'd never forgive himself.

H**E**e could hear his brothers behind him, yelling his name. Mikey's voice was high with fear; Don's voice screamed out reason.

But he wasn't going to stop - he couldn't.

He wouldn't.

* * *

Leo banged his steel cuffs against the bars of his cage. His dark eyes flashed with rage as people moved around him, moving stuff out of the warehouse and to a large truck that was parked outside. People moved around him... ignoring him and his futile attempts at escaping. Leo knew that with the chains as his wrists and the heavy metal bars surrounding him, he had no hope of escaping then.

Thunder crashed outside, shaking the warehouse. Leo cringed as a large bolt of lighting totally lit the dark warehouse, glinting off his cage and and anything metal. He had no idea what was going on, but he did know who had him.

_Shaun_, the man's name left a bad taste in his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to take his blades and sink them in his stomach, watching the blood ooze out... the life to drain from his eyes.

He hurt Raph.

He hurt his family.

And that was a action that no one got away with.

The price?

His life.

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**Even though this was a painfully short chap, please review :D**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey look! An update to this! Finally... LOL... sadly, this book is coming to and end (finally) and has 2 chapters after this, including the prologue.  
**

**Enjoy the chapter.  
**

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Raph growled, his amber orbs flashing.

He'd lost Donny and Mikey a few miles back, hanging in a behind a large vent as he watched the two younger turtles run by, before taking off in another direction. He knew that it was a stupid thing to do, but he couldn't help it. It was all his fault Leo was in this mess. It was his mess, his guilt, and his punishment that he solve this.

Alone.

"Sorry bros," he whispered into the pouring rain. The storm raged overhead, hiding the tears sliding down his cheeks from large eyes, mixing with the wet rain droplets. "But I have to do this myself."

And so he pushed forward, one thought in mind.

Save his brother.

Then the thought of the young girl hit his mind, replacing the image of his scowling blue banded brother. The same girl he'd grown to love as a sister… maybe more. Her flashing blue eyes, her mischievous grin, her flowing back raven hair…

"Suri," he whispered her name painfully. Raph swallowed thickly.

It was his fault she was gone. If only she hadn't been with him… if only she had stayed behind… if only …

Before Raph knew it a scream tore from his throat as he fell to his knees in defeat, letting both fists smash to the ground in front of him. He could feel the rain pound on his shell and exposed legs – letting it drip into his eyes.

_My fault Leo's gone… _

_My fault Suri was capturerd… _

_My fault… _

_My fault… _

"It's all my fault." Raph choked out. Those two words seemed to echo endlessly in his head, never ceasing their endless taunts – never letting him a moment without guilt.

_Why is everything my fault? I don't mean too… I don't mean to hurt anyone… _

Raph sobbed, letting out all his anger and grief into his tears. The last time he'd cried, it had been with Suri. She'd put on soothing hand on his shell, rubbing in comforting circles while telling him that it wasn't his fault, that everything would be ok. That it wasn't his fault.

"If it's not my fault… why is everyone hurting because of me?" he whispered tensely. "My family… Suri… my brothers…"

_My fault…_

_My fault…_

"Stop it!" he screamed, grabbing his head with both hands. "I already know it's my fault! Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!"

He screamed loud and hard as the lightning sang around him and the thunder danced, their powerful feet pounding the heavens, both becoming a powerful storm of a chorus. He screamed it all out, letting the word – the voices – know that he knew.

It was his fault.

"And I'm going to fix it." His head snapped up, his amber eyes dancing up a raging storm, becoming a mirror of the lightning. He was still on his hands and knees, submitting to the voices. "Even if it kills me."

And just like that, the voices went silent, the once loud repeat of guilt dying away, buried forever in his mind.

One foot, then the other, brought him to his feet. Both fists were clenched tightly, his nails drawing blood from his palms. His plastron rose and fell, each breath hard, and his teeth clenched together, his breath puffing out of his flared nostrils like an enraged bull.

The feeling running through his blood… it wasn't his normal seeing red. It was more than that. The desire – the need – to go and save his family, it was like a fire, consuming him in one huge rush. It felt like his skin was burning and his eyes were on fire, but the thrill of it excited him. He loved it.

He felt unstoppable… indestructible… like he could roll the world like a basketball on his finger and shoot it at the three point line.

The storm raged on, giving Raph barely any way to think of another way. He saw only one way. To bring down Shaun. But not just anyway – there was no hope for people like Shaun. Death was the only way. And it was going to be delivered by Raph's own hand. He was going to enjoy watching the blood drip from his blade and pool on the floor.

They were taught that they should never pleasure in killing.

But Raph was going to like it.

He was going to take pleasure at every drop of blood added into the pool.

He was going to enjoy hearing the last stubborn beat of his heart.

He was going to love watching the final, last defiant look in his eyes as it faded away into the glassy look of death.

He was so caught up in it all, so caught up in the thoughts of bringing his family together once again, and along with the rampant storm around him, he couldn't hear the steps. But he did hear the small voice behind him.

"Raphie?" a small, tiny voice of a young child called out.

Raph turned, feeling his eyes going wide. "Sammy?"

He only saw her blue eye's blinking innocently at him before the darkness closed on him like a book, sealing him in it's dark clutches of night.

* * *

"Dude," Mikey breathed, pointing a figure at the warehouse. His blue eyes were narrowed, his face set into a grim smile as his other hand rested on his wooden weapon. Don sat beside him, his own eyes narrowed.

They watched as Shaun walked around, dressed in an expensive suit, while behind him followed a woman with waist length brown hair. She was in a mini skirt and office jacket, jotting down notes on a clipboard.

"Who's that?!" Mikey asked, letting out a long, sharp whistle.

Don rolled his eyes. "No idea bro, now stay focused!"

"Sorry."

"There's Leo," Don pointed.

Mikey looked over, following the finger to the large cage where their older brother was being held. Leo was slumped in the cage. At first it appeared the eldest turtle was dead, but the slight rise and fall of his golden plastron let the others know that he was indeed alive.

"I'll kill em'." Don snarled, gripping his bo so tightly in one fist, his knuckles started to whiten. "Who knows what chemicals they put in his body! He could be allergic for all we know!"

"Easy bro," Mikey laid one three-fingered hand on Don's shaking shoulder. "We'll get them… trust me bro," his own voice hardened. "We'll get them. They'll pay for hurting our family."

Normally Don would be worried at the tone, at the vengeance, in Mikey's voice, but he wasn't. He agreed whole- heartily. They were all going to pay. Whether it by his hand, or one of his brother's they were going to regret hurting his family, physically and mentally. The mental stress Shaun put on their family…

Don shuddered. This wouldn't be something any of them would forget soon.

"Let's just… figure out a way in there, ok?" Don murmured.

Mikey gave a small nod, before scanning the roof. Don was about to do the same, and add his own eyes to the mix, when a dark figure moving through the warehouse caught his attention.

"Mike," Don hissed, smacking his youngest brother on the shell. "Look, we got another figure to deal with now."

"Oh fun," Mike rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his voice, but he also focused on the figure. "Who the shell is that?!"

"I…I don't know…" Don squinted against the rain that had died down to a light drizzle. One arm reached forward, rubbing the glass to clean away the fog and rain droplets.

Whoever it was, Shaun and turned abruptly around and was started towards the shadow covered figure. The shadow person stepped forward and Don caught the slight wave of black hair. His eyes widened.

"Don?" Mikey whispered, shock in his voice. "Is that…?"

Suddenly, the figure stepped forward, her arms waving around dramatically and blue eyes flashing while two burly guards carried the limp green figure behind them.

"Suri," Don's voice turned grim. "And she's got Raph."

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**Please leave a review!**


	36. Chapter 36

**FINALLY! LAST CHAPTER! This book took me forever and sorry if it seems a little rushed, but it's late and I have a busy day later, but I'm hoping to get more written. Enjoy the last chapter of Believe :) **

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Raph slowly came too with a low, agonizing moan, his mind a throbbing field of endless pain. Carefully, he brought up one hand to his head, feeling the raw, tender spot decorating his scalp.

"Mmm..wha…"

His amber eyes flickered open carefully, relived to be met with the dark room of the warehouse. It was then he noticed the wetness on his hand, quickly bringing it up to his eyes to see. The red liquid on his fingers had his stomach churning as he fought down the bile that quickly rose in his throat. Normally the site of blood, let alone his own, wouldn't bother him but the blood, mixed with his throbbing head, his injury, and his protesting stomach…

"Ugh…"

"So you're finally awake." A voice chuckled from the shadows.

If asked a few weeks ago what Raph would have felt when he heard that voice, he would have replied with relief. But now… the very sound of the girl he fell in love with had every nerve in him screaming to get away… to run far away. It was no longer the gentle, sweet voice of a young girl – it was replaced with the dark, evil undertone that had shivers racing down his spine.

"Suri…"

The giggle that escaped her lips was the last thing from cute. "I'm glad that little tap on the head didn't hurt you… too much anyway." Another giggle.

"Suri!" Raph sat straight up, just then noting the large cage he was placed in. The thick metal bars surrounded him from all sides, the top and bottom of the cages also a thick metal. The cage was large, easily letting him stand up and pace a few steps. But the very thought of a cage had him growling. "Let me out of her Suri."

"Oh but why… isn't that were animals belong?" She stepped fully from the shadow, a smirk of triumph playing on her lips. She wore a deep, blood red spaghetti-strap dress that ended just above her knees, the dress hugging her in just the right places. As she walked forward, one strap slipped down her arm from her shoulder, but she didn't bother to replace it.

Any other time, Raph would have thought she was the most beautiful thing alive, wearing his trade mark color. Now, just seeing her in red made him sick.

"Why are you doing this Suri…I thought…"

A short laugh escaped her perfectly applied red lips. "Thought what Raphael? That I actually cared for you? That I actually cared for how you felt or your feelings… give me a break."

The words that escaped him were pitiful to his ears, but he couldn't hold them back. "I loved you…"

"You are nothing but an animal Raphael… a weak, pathetic animal that needs to be behind bars, wearing a collar of an owner and eating from a dog dish. You can not feel love… all you can feel is how your hormones are raging on… I am not foolish."

"I loved you!" Raph exploded, his voice ringing across the warehouse. Everyone, from the workers to the birds fell silent at his cry. "I thought you cared for me! Those weren't my hormones speaking you idiot! Those were me! My feelings!"

"The very thought of loving a creature like you makes me sick." Suri spat out in disgust.

"So everything… everyone…"

"Was planned." She finished for him.

Raph felt his blood run cold. "All those people…"

"Everything, Raphael, was planned." She laughed again, it echoing across the room. "Down to the very cardboard box you slept on."

He felt himself getting sick at the next question, but he knew he had to ask. "And Sammy…"

"That worthless brat? Simply the unfortunate child of some… issues that needed dealt with." Her suddenly white teeth flashed.

For every word Suri spoke, all Raph could do is pray they weren't true. "You killed all those kids… all those kids' parents?"

"Oh no, not all of them. Some were adopted by our… workers from the orphanage. "

"And when they're done with their purpose?"

The silence that filled the room was the only answer Raph needed. He barred his teeth at her, growling low. "You're messed up lady."

"No Raphael," Suri walked forward until she was a few inches from the bars as she knelt down, grinning wickedly at him. "It is you, who are messed up. I mean, really… did you really think your brothers cared for you?" She stood, starting to circle his cage. "That they really loved you?"

_Don't listen to her… it's not true… it's not true… _

"I mean really Raphael, look at you… you're nothing but a hindrance to the team. A loose cannon. I'm shocked they haven't kicked you out sooner, I mean, you do endanger your whole family on a weekly, if not daily, basis."

_Not true… not true… _

"You're pure muscle… they care little for you, just what you do."

_Not… Mikey always called me the muscle of the team… no, he didn't mean it like that… he didn't mean it… did… no… did he? _

The whole time Suri was working her way around the cage, lazily stroking one finger across the smooth metal as she circled, Leo was furiously rubbing his face raw against the metal bars of his own cage, trying to loosen the cloth that had been tied tightly around his head that kept in his silent cries of protest. He could see from his prison his brother, but he himself was in the shadows, out of view from his red banded brother. He knew what Suri was doing and the hate he already felt for her increased drastically. She was trying to make Raph feel alone – again – by keeping him in a small, tight area with only her voice… her face, as a source of release for him.

_Don't listen to her Raph… it's not true! Not true! _

The very same thoughts were echoing through the two youngest brothers' minds as well as they snuck into the warehouse. Suri's voice echoed easily throughout the whole building.

"I hate her." Mikey hissed out, his blue orb's narrowed angrily behind the orange mask.

Don himself was thinking similar thoughts, but with his genius brain, the thoughts were a little more violent. Normally everyone thought and saw him as the calm, cool, collected turtle that could do no harm. But now, if anyone saw him, they would think it was Raph who had stolen the purple band. He was almost a stranger to himself… like the dark part that Mikey had always joked about had suddenly taken over his body, controlling everything from the smack of the bo on enemies flesh to the dark, narrowing of the light brown pools.

"We need a plan Donny."

Don nodded. "Here's what we'll do bro… do you see the guards over there?" He motioned with one hand to where a bunch of guards had gathered around lazily. Ever since the arrival of Suri, they had all decided to take a break. "Get over there and take them out. I'm going to find the light, cut the power, and free Leo."

Mikey gave a small glance at the small collection of guards, his hands already resting easily on his weapon handles. "What about Casey? And the others?"

"Casey will be helping us," Don whispered. "April and Splinter have the escape vehicle ready, as well as the medical supplies we might need."

"And after that?" Mikey turned to look at Donny for the same confirmation he felt raging through his veins.

"We end this."

_Hold on bro… hold on… _

The same words echoed endlessly in Leo's mind as he sent all his anger that was pooling in himself into his eyes, directing them at the woman… no… the witch, which was still circling his brother like a predator on helpless prey.

_That's exactly what we are to her,_ Leo thought disgustedly. _Helpless prey._

Even from his cramped position on the floor, he could hear her taunts eve still, and they made him more and more angry. He had struggled uselessly at his bonds, trying to loosen them, but only managing to dig the rope deeper into his wrists. The blood ran down his wrists, making small pools on the metal. Mind a whirl; he struggled for some plan… something… anything to get them out of the mess they were in, and hopefully in one piece. But he had nothing.

_It rests on Mikey, Don, and the others now,_ he realized. It hurt him not to be the one leading, but he had to have faith in the two youngest turtles that they could take care of thing.

Later on, if asked, Leo could have sworn that an angle had just answered his prayer cause as those last thoughts escaped his brain; the whole warehouse was flooded in darkness. He strained his ears, frozen, as he listened for the yells of the guards and the cocking off guns. But there was nothing, only the soft sound of something brushing the air and quiet thuds of something hitting the ground.

_And there…_ Leo tensed up as he heard the soft patter of steps quickly, yet almost silently, approaching his cage.

"Leo it's me bro."

_Donny…_ Leo visibly relaxed as he heard the sound of his cage door opening and the sound of a knife on the ropes. Within seconds, he was free.

"Thanks bro." Leo whispered as soon as the gag was torn from his mouth by his own hands.

Donny gave a grim smile and a silent tilt of the head. Leo didn't need to be a genius to know that they needed to vanish. And not a moment too soon, had the two joined the shadows once more that Shaun and Suri had managed to turn back on the lights.

"Who's there?" Suri screamed out, her face twisted into one of rage.

Shaun stood beside her, nervously fingering his gun as his eyes darted around.

Leo looked at his two brothers and gave a small, silent nod. Within seconds, both had pulled a ghost stunt and vanished, taking up places around the two goons. Donny had given him his swords back and they were placed in their rightful place on his shell. With one hand he reached up, silently drawing one of the blades from the leather sheath.

There would be no mercy for either of them. Honor demanded that justice was fulfilled and there would only be one rightful punishment for those two.

The two that had caused so much pain, not only in the Hamato family, but in other lives as well.

The two that had caused the death of innocent people, just to steal their children… to force young boys and girls to live on the streets… that had given children from the orphanage false hope of a loving, caring home that they all dreamed for.

There was only right retribution for them.

Leo's eyes narrowed.

Death.

He lunged forward just as Casey, who Leo had no idea where he'd come from, had flipped on the lights, flooding the warehouse in a huge, heavenly glow.

Suri let out a small scream as Mikey whipped forward from another shadow, taking down Shaun with a deadly swing of his weapon. There was no need to check the pulse as the man hit the ground. They'd all heard the sickly crack of bone breaking and they all knew his neck was broken. It was a quick, painless death.

Leo's snarled. Suri, on the other hand, would not receive such reward. Within seconds, Leo had her pinned up against the hard brick wall, one hand gripping her wrists tightly above her head as her feet dangled inches from the ground. His sword was at her throat.

"Put me down you monster." She hissed, blue eyes narrowing into mere slits as she spat at Leo's plastron.

Simply growling, Leo clenched his hands a little tighter, making the girl give a small scream as bones in her hands began to break under the pressure.

"Let… let go! You're hurting me!" Struggling wildly, she attempted to kick out with both feet, but Leo simply ignored the futile attempts.

"You hurt my family." The words were simple, but the death behind Leo's tone finally caused a fearful glint in Suri's eyes.

"You have no feeling, you're animals!"

Leo thrust his face into hers, until it was no more than a mere few inches away. "You hurt my family, witch…"

Blue eyes went wide.

"And I kill you."

She never had time to scream as the blade was drawn across her throat in one quick motion, cutting deep. Blood gushed to the wound as Leo dropped her to the ground, disgusted, and stepped back. He looked down at her as she withered on the ground, making a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. Leo knew she had a few mere seconds of breathing left.

And, if there had been any remorse for the young girl, he had been burned as she turned up to him and mouthed one final, last word.

Animal.

Then the light died from the blue eyes and the lids closed and her body went limp on the ground. Leo stood over the dead body, watching her, before drawing back his sword and wiping the blood dripping from the blade onto her dress before sheathing it again and turning to his brothers.

He was met with Raph's sad gaze.

Leo, managing a smile, put one hand on Raph's shoulder. "Let's go home Raph."

And, if the day just had to throw one more twist in there, Raph lunged forward, gathering Leo up in a strong hug, his arms pressing hard into the eldest turtle's shell. Seconds later, two more pairs of arms joined them as the four brothers stood in the middle of the blood bath, hugging, celebrating the victory and most importantly the reunion the team.

"Yes," Raph whispered, drawing back and allowing a few tears to slip from his amber gaze. "Home."

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**I want to thank all my readers, reviewers, and fans for encouraging me to finish this up :) I hope you all enjoyed it! **

**~raphfreak  
**


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